


I Wanna Be, I Wanna Be, I Wanna Be Boyfriends

by Zphal



Category: Total Drama
Genre: Alternate History, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-24 19:34:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3781804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zphal/pseuds/Zphal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An 'alternate history' of Total Drama Island's events, had Noah and Cody hooked up before the "Dodgebrawl" episode.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~" denotes the static-y cut to the bathroom confessional.

“Hey.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah gave the camera in the cramped bathroom stall a glare. “I know what you’re thinking: Wow, what an opener.” He jazz-handsed briefly before quickly folding his arms. “I’m sorry for not being able to drum up more enthusiasm over a conversation that’s inevitably going to lead to rejection.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

The flatness of his voice didn’t even seem to register to Cody, who was at present sitting on the dock with his pants rolled up, swishing his bare feet in the water; he turned and flashed the approaching boy a gap-toothed grin. “Oh hey, Noah! What’s up?”

“Not much, honestly,” Noah replied. A pause followed that ate the next couple of seconds.

Cody blinked twice. “Oh, okay. Well, in that case, wanna join me?”

The invitation struck him somewhat by surprise. “Sure.” He lowered himself to sit cross-legged next to the other teen, taking some care so he wouldn’t get any splinters or sit on any rusted nails from the less than maintained dock.

Cody broke the silence. “So, who do you think is gonna be eliminated next?”

“No idea,” Noah returned. He didn’t really care much one way or the other, as long as it wasn’t him or… present company.

“Heh heh,” Cody gave his small, typical chuckle. “Yeah. Guess there’s not really any way to know until it happens, right?”

“…Riiight,” Noah answered.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“‘No way to know until it happens’??” Noah got out exasperatedly. “Ugh,” he held his head in his hands, “As if I need to be more self-conscious right now.” He gestured limply, “I know how it ends. He says no. That’s it. Finito. End of story.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

He wasn’t going to get anywhere by stalling. “Listen, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Noah said.

“Shoot,” Cody aimed two finger-guns at him.

Great. He was on the line now, with no recourse or easy way out. He cleared his throat. “I know this is probably a long shot, but… Would you be at all interested in pursuing a romantic relationship?”

Both of Cody’s eyebrows shot up into the tufts of his hair. “You mean, _dating_? Me and you?”

“Yeah.” There was a stiffness in the way he drew out the word.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Holy moly, I did not expect Noah to ask me to date him!” Cody exclaimed. “Heck, I didn’t even know he was… you know,” the boy shrugged his shoulders in leiu of saying it. “But I mean, Gwen’s been really ignoring all my advances, and Noah seems okay,” he seemed to be thinking his way through it there in the bathroom stall. “And it would be way better than being single, that’s for sure!” He grinned, thumbsing toward himself, “It’s time for the Codester to get in the game.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Sure, sounds cool to me,” Cody nodded.

Noah was halfway to standing up and leaving when his brain caught up. “Wait. Did you just say yes?” There was a definite hanging incredulity.

“Uh huh,” the brown-haired boy nodded again.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah sat with his palms facing up. “I guess there really _isn’t_ any way to know until it happens.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody was back to grinning. It was time to make his move and prove his skills as the ultimate date-meister. “So, dinner’s soon, but you wanna do something afterward?” He pulled his feet up out of the water and started to towel them off.

“Uh… Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good.” Noah was still a little off his feet in surprise at the turn of events. “Did you have something in mind?”

“Do you like movies?” He stuffed a foot in one sneaker.

Noah bit back the urge to question how exactly he and Cody were going to go to the movies when they were trapped on Camp Wawanakwa. “Movies are alright,” he answered blasély.

Cody had gotten his other shoe on and rolled down his pants. “Cool, then it’s a date. See you in a bit!” he waved cheerily, walking back toward camp. Noah remained out on the dock, staring out at the water. So this was really happening. Well, that was an unexpected twist. For once reality TV wasn’t a big let-down. He smirked in spite of himself.

—

Dinner had been some kind of asparagus-anchovie casserole (casserole was perhaps a generous descriptor… ‘pulped amalgamation’ seemed closer to the truth) with grape-flavored Kool-aid to wash it down. Grimacing, Noah reached into the pocket of his cargo shorts and surreptitiously pushed a square of gum through the foil backing underneath the table— with Chef’s odorous cooking, he didn’t know if he was going to have enough to last _himself_ the entire eight weeks; he definitely didn’t want to have to share with any of the other campers in the event they found out he had gum. He glanced up to see Cody returning his lunch tray. The boy hadn’t sat with him at dinner, but that was understandable. They hadn’t even had their first date yet. Though Noah still had some questions about how exactly that was going to work…

Next thing he knew, Cody was at his side. “Hey! Ready for movie night?”

“Yeah,” Noah answered, pushing his plate away. “I don’t think I could stomach any more of this even if it meant getting voted off the island.” He stood.

The blue-eyed boy chuckled. “I dunno. I thought it was better than last night,” he commented.

“Please, don’t remind me,” Noah’s nose wrinkled.

“You aren’t gonna finish that??” Owen interrupted suddenly. Noah shook his head. The human disposal snagged his unfinished plate and crammed it into his face, lips smacking. Noah blanched and he turned quickly so he and Cody could leave the dining hall.

He followed loosely beside the other teen, still not exactly sure where they were headed. Cody led them to the boys’ cabin and inside; Noah cocked an eyebrow. Obviously they weren’t completely alone. Trent was on his bed tuning his guitar. Duncan was lying on his bed tossing darts at a picture of Chris he’d carved into the wall with his pocket knife. And a couple of the others were there too, but everyone seemed to be doing their own thing, paying the two of them no more mind than usual.

“This would’ve been a little trickier if we weren’t both guys actually,” Cody commented softly, motioning Noah over as he plodded toward his bunk. He’d taken an extra blanket and stuffed the long edge under the mattress of the top bunk, so it would drape down and create a semi-private nook for the two of them to occupy. He pulled up the corner and gestured ‘after you’.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah sat with his arms folded amusedly. “This is where I could joke Cody seems to be taking things a little fast.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Sparing a quick glance left and right just to be sure no one was looking, Noah took off his shoes and crawled in. Cody followed right on his heels. There wasn’t lots of room considering all the beds in the cabins were twin-sized, but Noah situated himself by sitting and pulling his knees up toward his chest. Cody quickly took to rummaging through his backpack. “Here we go!” he announced happily, procuring his iPod Touch.

“You still have battery life?” Noah asked incredulously. Of course Camp Wawanakwa didn’t have the ‘luxury’ of electrical outlets. As such, his Kindle had died two days ago and he’d been stuck falling back on the few paperbacks he’d brought along.

“Harold let me use his solar USB charger,” Cody explained, powering the device on.

“I guess that’s one way to avoid a vote off,” Noah only half-joked.

“Yeah,” the boy beside him chuckled, navigating to the Movies section and swiping the selections across the screen. “So, what’re you in the mood for? Action? Drama? Comedy?”

“Well I think I can safely say we already get enough drama around here— thanks, _Heather_ ,” Noah rolled his eyes. “I guess I’m feeling more like a comedy,” he decided.

Cody bobbed his head agreeably. “Ever seen Meatballs?”

“Is that the one with Bill Murray?” Noah asked. Cody nodded again. Noah shrugged, “Yeah, but it’s been awhile, so why not.”

“Awesome!” Cody said, untangling his earbuds and plugging them into the jack. “Sorry I don’t have an audio splitter; we’ll have to share.” He offered one of the buds to the dark-haired boy.

“That’s okay,” Noah said as he took it. Cody repositioned, lying belly down and tucking half of his pillow underneath his arms for comfort. He then carefully propped his iPod up against the headboard with a slight tilt. It was obvious from the space Cody had intentionally left that the boy expected him to join him. Noah cast away his hesitation and laid down, nestled comfortably between the wall and the teen he’d been crushing on, focusing his gaze on the little 4” screen in front of them both.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I don’t wanna say laying there right next to Cody was ‘bliss’…” Noah confessed, very much sounding like someone who was trying to not say something and failing, “But I suppose it was about as close as it could get under the circumstances, being stuck here at this ridiculous camp surrounded by morons with nothing but terrible food to eat.” He shrugged his shoulder, looking away. A moment later his eyes unfocused and he let out an almost dreamy hum.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Duncan relaxed back inside the bathroom stall. “The funny thing is that Dork-o 1 and Dork-o 2 totally think I didn’t see them crawl into the same bunk together,” he jerked his thumb back. Then his hands went up, “Now, I don’t know what they’re doing in there, and I’m pretty sure I don’t wanna know, but let’s just say, I’ve been to juvie. I _know_ what goes on.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Sorry it’s not more theatre-esque,” Cody spoke up then, a soft chuckle following his words. He kicked his feet in the air behind him. “Best I could really do with the constraints.”

“What’s there to miss?” Noah challenged sarcastically, “The smell of stale popcorn underfoot? Crying children? A couple making out in the back row?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody shifted nervously on the john. “You don’t think that was a hint, do you? Oh man, what if it was? What do I do??” He rubbed the back of his head, “Jeez, this romance stuff is trickier than I thought! Eh heh…”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

It was about an hour and a half later and the movie was nearly to the end. All the other male campers had already gotten into bed and turned out the lights in the cabin, leaving he and Cody in darkness, save for the glow of the little screen illuminating their makeshift “tent”. Noah stifled a yawn into his hand; eyelids feeling heavy and limbs feeling heavier. It was all thanks to Chris that he was this tired; the TV host had woken them all before dawn for no reason whatsoever save his own brand of exclusive torment he insisted upon inflicting on them (especially since it hadn’t even been a challenge day). He couldn’t stay and fall asleep in Cody’s bed though. For one, he was still in his day clothes and hadn’t brushed his teeth, and for two, being caught by their cabinmates in the morning wasn’t something he wanted to try and explain.

“Noah?”

“Huh?” Noah mumbled; he must’ve missed the very end of the movie. He hadn’t even realized his eyes had been closed. “I’m awake,” he said quickly, knuckling his eyes.

Cody chuckled. “Guess we ought to get to bed. I mean, who knows when Chris will get us up tomorrow.”

“Or how long he’ll make us stay up,” Noah said before thinking about it.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Please tell me I didn’t just bring up the Awake-A-Thon challenge…” Noah slapped his forehead.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody tapped his lip. “Huh, you know, I hadn’t thought about it until Noah brought it up just then, but I guess it makes sense now he was kissing my ear in his sleep.” He leaned back slightly, eyelids folding halfway over his eyes, “Well, it makes sense really. Deep down, no one can resist the Codester.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody took it seemingly in stride. “Haha, yeah, that too.” He popped his head out of the blanket-curtain. “Coast is clear,” he delivered, hopping out and holding it back for Noah to exit next.

“Thanks,” Noah said softly, though he wasn’t likely to be heard over Owen’s snoring. “I’ll join you in a moment. I have to grab my things.”

Cody nodded and nabbed up his night clothes and toothbrush, heading out of the cabin toward the communal washroom. Once there he quickly changed into a plain white tee and a pair of striped boxers. He’d just squeezed out a dollop of toothpaste onto his brush when Noah joined him. The other boy tugged his sweatervest over his head and began unbuttoning his teal shirt. Cody scrubbed at his teeth, glancing at Noah in the mirror every once and a while.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“One thing I gotta say, this whole ‘dating someone of the same gender’ seems really… different, I guess?” Cody shrugged confusedly in the stall confessional. “I mean, if it were Gwen or one of the other girls, it’d be really inappropriate to be changing in the same room. But Noah’s just another one of the guys. So it’s okay for me to look, right?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

After having slipped into his silk pajamas (one of the only self-indulgences he had on this island), Noah got to brushing his teeth as well. When they’d both finished up, they left to go back to the cabin. Noah reached for the door. Cody hesitated on the porch, making the brown-eyed boy stop questioningly. “…Something up?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody pushed the tips of his index fingers together nervously. “Isn’t it like a rule that at the end of a date, you kiss the girl at her doorstep to say goodnight? I can’t just leave that step out, can I? It’s one of the most important ones!” He shook his head, “This really is way more complicated than I expected it to be.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody fidgetted. “I was just wondering if you had a good time tonight.”

“Yeah,” Noah answered, amused but drowsy. His voice had a sarcastic note to it, but he spoke sincerely, “We should totally do it again sometime.”

The blue-eyed boy brightened instantly. “Yeah! Okay!”

“So, are we going to go to bed, or what?”

Cody nervously dry-washed his hands. Taking two quick steps forward he closed the gap between them and got up on his toes to plant a smooch on Noah’s cheek. “G’night.”

Noah blinked in slight surprise, resisting the urge to touch the spot. “Yeah. Goodnight, short-stuff.”

“Hey!” Cody protested.

“Just because I like you doesn’t mean I’m not going to tell it how it is,” Noah responded. The two of them entered the cabin and each went to their own bunk and were quickly off to dreamland.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day did in fact turn out to be a challenge day. And an utterly thrilling one at that: dodgeball. The only way it could’ve been worse was if team captains had been assigned to pick their teams, but thankfully, that much had been done for them already, so as least he’d been sparred the embarrassment of being picked next to last like he’d always been in middle school. Noah had mostly chosen to sit out and keep to the bench reading his novel, but with Cody’s persistance, he’d been coerced into playing a couple games— both of which of course ended with him taking a dodgeball to the face.

Noah rubbed his sore nose as they left the court. “I can’t believe they pulled a win!” Cody exclaimed beside him.

“Maybe if you’d tagged in someone other than me, they wouldn’t’ve,” Noah mumbled.

“Aw, c’mon, Noah, you weren’t that bad,” Cody gave him a little elbow on the arm.

“I was pretty bad,” Noah retorted. He glanced sideways at the other boy. “And what was with you taking the hit for Gwen that one game? You could’ve stayed in. You were basically our MVP.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Before you say it: Yes, I know I agreed to go out with Noah.” Cody gestured a hand outward, “But that doesn’t mean I can’t be nice to Gwen at the same time.” He shrugged, “Who knows, maybe eventually she’ll come around. Everyone knows that if you’re taken, it makes you three times more desireable. It’s like an unspoken law of relationships: everyone wants what they can’t have.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I dunno. I think she’s cute. I didn’t want her to get hurt,” he explained.

“I guess. If you’re into that whole pale-skin, dark-lipstick scene,” Noah rolled his eyes. “You know you’re never going to get her to like you.”

“Yeah, probably not,” Cody chuckled anxiously. He didn’t want to hurt Noah’s feelings by saying that if Gwen _did_ like him, he’d most likely— okay, undoubtedly— be going out with her instead of him. Cody made the quick decision to change subjects. “It’s gonna be our team’s first elimination. I dunno if I can decide who to vote off. Who are you thinking of?”

Noah snorted. “Oh, I’ve got a few ideas.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah crossed a leg over a knee. “Lindsay. She’s bringing the average IQ of our team down at least 10 points all on her own.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I’ll see you at the campfire ceremony,” Noah said in parting.

“‘Kay, see you then!” Cody waved. Noah didn’t even look back at him. The teen’s hand drooped.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody facepalmed. “Ugh, I hope Noah isn’t too mad at me.” He looked down at his feet in the bathroom stall, shuffling them against the floor guiltily. “I probably ought to think of a way to make it up to him tonight.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

—

The vote came down to he and Lindsay. He knew he wasn’t anyone’s favorite on the team (not even Cody’s and they were technically “together”), but seriously? He gave an insulted snort out of his nostrils as Chris pinched the squishy marshmallow between forefinger and thumb tauntingly. Beside him, Lindsay was biting her a-week-past-due-for-a-manicure nails. Well, if it did turn out to be him leaving the island, he wasn’t going to give any of these idiots any satisfaction.

“Noah.”

The marshmallow came at his face before he had a chance to react, bopping him right where two dodgeballs had impacted earlier that day. “Ow,” he commented, annoyed. Owen reached down to grab the fallen marshmallow; he didn’t even brush off the dirt before popping it in his oversized mouth.

Cody let out a huge breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Dude, for a second I thought Noah was going to get voted off the island,” Cody said, his blue eyes wide. “That would’ve really sucked!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Lindsay, that means you’re out,” Chris said, irritated that the girl still sitting on her tree stump hadn’t clued in yet.

“Oh nooo, reaaallyyy?!” Lindsay whined.

“Yep, looks like,” Heather sniped, putting her hands on her hips. “This is what you get for being such a traitor to your team.” The blonde’s shoulders fell. “Just you wait and see; the next time the Bass are up for an elimination, they’ll vote off Tyler for the same reason.”

Lindsay clasped her palms together, bringing them to the side of her face. “Eee, I hope so! Then we can be together again!” she bounced on her heels. Heather scoffed and rolled her eyes.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Noah smirked, “Upset your dig against Lindsay didn’t have the effect you were hoping for?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“This is totally unacceptable,” Heather fumed. “Lindsay should have been in _tears_. How dare she be so happy about losing!” She stomped her foot, only to realize she’d brought her nice cork wedge down in some unidentified substance there on the bathroom floor. Her face twisted, “EWW!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Chef Hatchet arrived with Lindsay’s neon-pink rolling baggage, dropping it unceremoniously at the toes of her boots. “Hey thanks, Chef!” she said obliviously, opening up her pocket mirror to check her make-up. Chris rolled his eyes.

“Bye, Lindsay, we’ll miss you,” Beth waved sadly. Trent and Leshawna waved as well. Noah took note. It gave him a pretty good idea who had cast their votes for him to leave— due, mostly likely, to his unenthusiastic and poor performance on the dodgeball court.

The long-legged girl was just starting toward the dock when her blue eyes widened in realization. “Ooh wait! Beth, I forgot to give you my number…!”

“Get _going_ already!” Chris grit out. “We don’t have enough air time for pointless heartfelt goodbyes!” He put both hands on the blonde’s back and physically began pushing her down the Dock of Shame.

“Ooh, okay, I guess I’ll get it to you later,” Lindsay nodded. She waved her hand above her head, “Bye everyone!”

Now that things had been concluded, the campers began to disperse. Noah was on his way for the cabin when Cody bounded up beside him. “Golly am I glad you didn’t get voted off tonight,” he said.

“Oh?” the dark-haired boy’s voice was mocking, “Why’s that?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I’m not _really_ mad at Cody,” Noah explained. “I’ve known all along he likes Gwen. That’s partially why I was surprised he said yes to trying things out.” He folded his arms, “Really I’m peeved that I took two dodgeballs to the face and what thanks do I get? A near elimination. All these challenges so far have had no mental requirement. How is a guy like me supposed to get ahead?” he gestured his arms out huffily.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody paused and scratched nervously at the back of his head before shoving both hands deep into his pockets. “Well, because otherwise I couldn’t invite you to go on a late-night stroll around the island with me.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“A late-night stroll?” Noah’s eyebrow lifted half a mile. “That almost sounds romantic. Sans all the killer mosquitos and rampaging bears and other rabies-infested wildlife that will undoubtedly be attempting to eat us alive the moment we leave camp.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Sure,” he said slowly. “Just let me get a few things.” He turned to resume heading for the cabin.

“I’ll be right here!” Cody called after him. He took to kicking pinecones around the camp area while he waited.

Noah returned with a flashlight in his hand and wearing an additional jacket. He flicked on the light. “Alright. Lead on,” he prompted the other teen.

Cody nodded and started on ahead. Noah followed, keeping the flashlight’s beam on the ground in front of them. The island was big and for the most part, none of the campers had gotten to explore it much yet since arriving a little over a week ago, so Cody didn’t have a clear idea where he was taking them, but he kept to some of the most-worn paths so they’d have an easy time making their way back later. About five minutes in, Cody began to feel self-conscious, like he wasn’t doing enough to make this good for the boy walking wordlessly beside him with a neutral expression on his face. What kind of date-meister was he if Noah wasn’t even enjoying himself?? He had to say something… or _do_ something. He bit his lip, glancing down at Noah’s free hand. Well, they were well out of range of the campground at this point…

Carefully timing his steps, Cody slipped his hand into Noah’s. The dark-haired boy seemed surprised for just an instant, before his hand curled around Cody’s in welcome. Cody lit up with a smile.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I don’t know if it’s weird for me to be saying this but… holding Noah’s hand felt really, really nice,” Cody confessed. “I mean, of course I always figured the first time I’d be holding hands with someone that that someone would be a girl but, eh,” he shrugged, a smile still on his face. “Who cares? I’m still getting practice in being a great boyfriend. And it’s pretty sweet to finally be in a relationship! Woohoo!” He pumped his arms above his head.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Their wandering eventually took them out of the woods and into a clearing. It sloped upward into a elevated bank looking over a sand beach and the water. “Wow. This is a nice spot!” Cody said, looking around. “I must have a better sense of direction than I thought, aha.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Holding hands? A secluded spot under the stars? Pinch me, I must be dreaming,” Noah deadpanned. The camera caught just the briefest of smiles spreading over the teen’s face before cutting.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah reached into one of his cargo pockets and withdrew a spare blanket (the size of which seemed like it should’ve been impossible to fit inside said pocket, but apparently hadn’t been). He unfurled it with a quick motion and bent down to spread it out over the ground. “Nice thinking bringing that along!” Cody said, chuckling a bit as he settled himself down on top of it.

“Well, since we don’t have any good way to do something as essential as _laundry_ ,” Noah mumbled, still annoyed by the lack of facilities on the island, “I didn’t want to get my clothes dirty…er,” he added on the suffix as he took a seat beside the other boy. He clicked off his flashlight and set it aside; they didn’t need it for the moment and it would allow their eyes to adjust. Casually he reached around behind Cody’s back to prop himself as he leaned back, which put them in close proximity, but just shy of touching. From this distance he could catch the scent of the shampoo the brown-haired boy had washed with that morning, he noted.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Noah is so close I can actually feel his breath on my ear,” Cody pointed to said earlobe. He tapped his forefingers together embarrassedly. “It’s kind of… hot?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody allowed himself to lean back into Noah’s shoulder. Immediately he found it both warm and comfortable. The action elicited an almost inaudible hum from the other teen and Cody found himself grinning again. “If you wanna kiss my ear again, I promise I won’t scream this time,” he teased, though the very fact he was suggesting it aloud made his face flush.

“Well, that’s a relief,” Noah mumbled, but he was smirking somewhat.

“I only screamed cuz you did, you know,” Cody continued, snuggling himself a little deeper into Noah’s shoulder.

“That so?” Noah queried. “Well then…” He craned his neck forward just enough to press his lips to Cody’s ear.

“See? Didn’t scream. Ha,” he gave a single chuckle, hoping it would encourage the other boy a little more.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say that sounded like a ‘challenge’…” Noah murmured, going in for a second peck. The sensation plus the chilly night air made Cody shiver. He bit into his bottom lip with his top teeth. “Are you cold?” Noah asked then, cocking a disbelieving eyebrow.

“Only a little,” Cody lied, rubbing his arms.

“You should’ve brought a coat along, brainiac.” Noah unzipped his coat and reached his arms up and over Cody’s shoulders, pulling the boy snug against his chest while allowing the material to benefit them both.

“Or maybe this is all part of my plan,” Cody razzed, though of course it was nothing of the sort. He grabbed the lapels of Noah’s coat and folded his arms over the other boy’s, soaking up the warmth he was providing with a happy hum.

“Sure,” Noah’s voice was flat and disbelieving, “Next thing you’ll tell me is you’ve devised a way to vote Heather off the island.”

“Ha. Not _just_ Heather,” the would-be Casonova bragged, “Everyone except you and me.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Okay, that was kind of cute,” Noah admitted. “As far as cheesy one-liners go.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Despite the spark that ignited in his chest, Noah’s response was still a cynical one. “I seriously doubt that, considering almost half our team was eager to give me the boot tonight.”

Cody shrugged. “They just haven’t had the chance to realize your value to the team yet is all. I’m sure they’ll come around.” He chuckled, his effervescent attitude always present.

Noah was momentarily speechless. “I think that’s the single nicest thing anyone’s said to me since I set foot on this wretched island.”

“It goes for everyone, really,” Cody went on, for a moment dropping his cool-dude facade, “Everyone has something valuable to contribute. I rocked the dodgeball court today, but in a couple of days, who knows, Chris might make us all do some kind of Extreme Spelling Bee or something. We’ll need you, dude.”

Noah highly doubted that, but it was still nice (if surprising) to hear Cody thought he was valuable. He stared out at the placid surface of the water awhile, contemplating where he might be if he’d been forced to board the Boat of Losers earlier that night. “We should probably be heading back to camp soon,” he commented.

“If you want,” Cody said, pausing for half a beat, “I feel like I could stay out here with you forever.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody waggled his eyebrows at the camera. “Am I good? Yeah, I’m good.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“That’s because you’re sharing my coat,” Noah deadpanned, though he couldn’t help but be a little amused nonetheless. Cody came off too strong a lot of the time, but it was endearing, in its own way. He stood then, yanking the coat off the other boy’s shoulders. Instantly Cody shuddered, his limbs scrunching up in reaction to the sudden cold.

“Ack! Okay okay! Yeah, let’s go back! It’s freezing out here!” he agreed, bluff called. Noah helped him to standing and quickly shook out the blanket, offering it out to the other boy to wrap around himself for the return trip. Grabbing up his flashlight, the two of them set off back into the woods the way they’d come, but not before Cody’s hand somehow made it back into his.


	3. Chapter 3

That afternoon’s lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup might’ve actually proven tasty, had the cheese _not_ been molding and the tomato soup not been more like tomato-flavored water. Noah gave up a few minutes into the meal; Cody took a little longer to decide his turning stomach just wasn’t worth it.

The two of them were headed out of the dining hall when a group of seven of the campers approached. “Hey Cody, you wanna play some Ultimate Frisbee?” Trent offered, showcasing the plastic disc by spinning it between his hands.

The boy’s gap-toothed grin appeared instantly. “Sure, sounds fun!” He turned to the boy next to him. “Wanna join us, Noah?”

Noah put up his hand, quickly declining. “No, that’s okay.” He planted himself down on the nearby picnic table, promptly cracking open his book and emersing.

“Oh. Uh, okay…” Cody shifted nervously.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“It’s like the guy _wants_ the rest of the team to dislike him!” Cody said exasperatedly. He shook his head. “I don’t get it.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“We’re playing Bass against Gophers,” Duncan said. “In other words, prepare to be _crushed_.” He punctuated the word with a punch into his palm.

“Haha, yeah, okay, whatever,” Izzy giggled between words, giving a flip of her wrist and roll of her eyes. “I’ve participated in three Canine Frisbee Disc World Championships, I think I know a little about frisbee, okay?”

“That is _so_ interesting,” Owen said. “Did they hand out treats? Milk-Bones are the best,” he commented, patting his large stomach with a laugh.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Did the dude just say he liked the taste of dog treats?” Duncan thumbed to the side. He laughed, slapping his head. “Way whack, man.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“My favorite flavor are the gravy ones,” Owen revealed, as if he were reviewing an exquisite cuisine. “They have a nice bite, but are still semi-soft. Plus, they’re great for your oral hygiene!” His eyes half-lidded, “Mmm… gravy…”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Soon the teams had set up the perimeter for play and taken their sides of the field and the game began in earnest. Several points were scored for each side, with the Bass leading. The whole first quarter Cody couldn’t stop thinking about Noah and his stubborn reluctance to play, his eyes occasionally darting over to the boy still reading at the picnic table— it was bugging him to the point it was effecting his own playing ability. This was the perfect chance for Noah to get in good with some of the team… and he was throwing it away!

He had to do something, he decided. Running quickly to position himself, he nabbed a pass from Trent. Owen was ahead on the field, angled reasonably close to Noah, his arms waving above his head. “Here, right here!” the large boy called out. Already Tyler was sprinting to intercept, but that wouldn’t be a problem because Cody wasn’t planning to complete the pass.

Cody aimed the disc and tossed. It sailed way out of bounds and came to a skidding halt on the picnic table. Noah’s eyes drew away from his book, regarding the frisbee now beside him with a look of skepticism.

“Whoops, sorry guys,” Cody chuckled with fake embarrassment. “Noah, toss it back!” he called to the other teen, waving his arms above his head.

The dark-haired boy gave him a look that said he’d do nothing of the sort. “You threw it over here, you can come get it.”

Cody winced. Before too much attention could fall on Noah and make the team’s perception of him even _worse_ , Cody rushed over to retrieve the frisbee from the tabletop.

“What are you trying to pull?” Noah asked plainly once Cody had come over. He knew Cody hadn’t made a poor throw. Not after yesterday’s dodgeball stunts.

“I thought if you played it might help you bond with some of the team,” Cody whispered back.

“Maybe everyone’s forgotten, but this isn’t a challenge,” Noah continued to contest. “What’s the point?”

“If you play, they’ll like you. If they like you, they won’t vote you off. It’s as simple as that,” Cody spoke.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Noah is being so difficult. I’m trying to do the guy a solid here!” Cody told the camera.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Of course I know Cody’s right,” Noah grumped in the bathroom stall. “The only way to prove myself to these neanderthals is if I participate in their ritualistic hoopla and chest-thumping.” He pointed at the camera. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah sighed dramatically, pointedly shutting his book and smacking it down on the table. “Give me that,” he grumbled; Cody happily handed the frisbee to him. “Let’s just get this over with,” the brown-eyed teen pushed up his long sleeves as he entered the designated playing field.

“Haha, you think adding another player to your team will help you?” Geoff jeered. “Sorry dudes, but you’re going _down_!!” The blond turned his thumbs down over his head. “KILLER BASS! WOO!!”

Noah’s eyes rolled hard in his skull. He calmly flicked the frisbee to Bridgette standing at goal line so the other team could take the offensive. Trent gave a quick countdown, “Three, two, one, go!” and the teams fanned out. The surfer chick smirked, nodding to Geoff before flinging it his way. He nabbed it out of the air and quickly searched for the next pass. He tossed it toward Tyler, who was shouting “I got it! I got it!” but Izzy pounced into the air like a rabid animal, seizing the frisbee between her teeth and landing on all fours. She shook her head back and forth wildly, growling around the disc in her mouth, then released it toward Owen.

“Nice interception, Izzy!” Owen said, catching the frisbee. “Trent!” he announced, flinging it toward the guitar player. They were almost to the goal line. Cody sprinted himself past it and ducked around Bridgette. Trent sent the disc sailing high and Cody leapt for it, managing to grab it by the very tips of his fingers.

“Oh yeah, baby!” Owen celebrated. Trent high-fived him.

“Yeah… woo team,” Noah muttered.

Cody appeared at his side, panting a little. “C’mon, Noah, you gotta move around more,” he encouraged. Everyone had been involved in the scored point except the dark-haired boy.

“Do I _have_ to?” Noah asked. He sighed and positioned himself further up on the field, trying to focus on the positioning of his teammates and the opposing team. Of course, finding the effort to _care_ was the harder part. His eyes narrowed as Bridgette served off, again throwing to Geoff first. Geoff spun the disc around behind his back in a trick-shot to Duncan, but somehow Cody managed to squirt in front of the punk before he could catch it.

“Noah!” Cody called out, flinging it.

The dark-haired boy flinched at the sound of his name, eyes on the frisbee and legs reacting almost of their own accord to carry him to its end trajectory. Unfortunately, Tyler was headed precisely the same place. The two collided. The frisbee went rolling off.

A communal “Ooooohhh!” sounded out across both teams, save for Duncan’s harsh laughter.

Noah untangled himself from the clumsy Tyler grumpily. He had half a mind to walk off the playing field right then and there, except quitting would undoubtedly damage his reputation… more. The frisbee was returned to the Bass, this time with Tyler serving. He chucked it to Duncan and Duncan threw to Bridgette. Trent’s fingers barely scraped the edge of the disc, but he missed the steal. Though Tyler had come bounding through and was further forward on the field, Bridgette passed to Geoff. The second it landed in his hands, he zinged it to Tyler, who was past the goal line. The team whooped in victory.

“I’ll serve the next one, guys,” Trent said, taking point.

“Three, two, one… rock on!” Duncan sounded out. The teams spread out again, vying for position. Trent passed to Izzy, who caught it normally, but lowered to give it two quick nibbles like a chipmunk before dipping low and sending it whizzing only a foot off the ground.

“Got it!” Cody ran and bent in one smooth motion, acquiring the disc.

Noah evaluated his position on the field, preparing for the pass. But this time Cody tossed the frisbee to Owen, who obviously also didn’t see the exchange coming. The frisbee hit him square in the gut, ricochetting harmlessly off him, and not so harmlessly wanging Noah in the face.

“Oops. Sorry, Noah,” the large boy apologized, laughing.

“I _hate_ projectile sports…” Noah muttered, rubbing his jaw.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I don’t know if my face is going to make it the eight weeks at this rate,” Noah commented flatly.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“You guys are really awesome,” Duncan taunted, “at _losing_!”

“Just throw the frisbee, pincushion,” Noah sneered.

Duncan did so. It was again to Tyler. Owen was blocking his would-be pass to Geoff, forcing him to look for another option. Noah kept on Bridgette like glue. The frisbee sailed her way; she leapt and caught it out of the air seamlessly.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Oh no you don’t, sister. Not this time,” Noah said threateningly.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

He knew exactly who she was going to throw to. She spun to Geoff and launched it, but it hadn’t flown more than three meters before Noah snagged it. Duncan and Bridgette were both so stunned they didn’t have time to react to the change in offense; Noah threw it hard to Izzy. Tyler was bounding hard to reach her, but in so doing he tripped over his own feet and fell. By the time he’d gotten up, he didn’t have enough time to reach her; she’d already whizzed the frisbee off to Cody who was standing behind the goal line. Their team got the point.

“Woohoo, right on,” Trent celebrated.

Noah gave himself a mental pat on the back. Cody jogged up to him and offered up a palm above his head. Secretly smirking, Noah returned the five. Bridgette was much more careful about passing to Geoff from then on.

The second quarter ended shortly after that. The third came and went with several trade-offs and goals for each side. Noah even managed to be the one past the goal line on a completed pass once. They were in the lead briefly beginning the fourth but had since lost it. In the late stages of the game, many of the other remaining campers had gathered to watch on the sidelines, lending their support in their own fashions.

“Did you know Ultimate Frisbee wasn’t developed until 1968?” Harold said to Lashawna, who didn’t look particularly interested. “It took another seven years to be introduced in Canada.”

“Not that that’s not really interesting, but could it maybe wait until _after_ the game?” Lashawna silenced him. She cupped a hand to her mouth. “You go, Gophers! Yeah!”

“C’mon, Gophers, pick up the slack!” Heather insisted. “Why are you sucking so much?”

“Maybe they just need a cheerleader,” Beth suggested. “I could do it! Waving pompoms is a lot like baton twirling.” She searched the area around her for something that could act as pompoms.

“Killer Bass are the best!” Sadie exclaimed.

“Oh-my-gooosh, I think so too!” Katie chimed in. The two girls squealed and embraced one another.

“A frisbee match?” Gwen approached, looking semi-curious, semi-skeptical at the goings-on.

“Hey Gwen!” Cody greeted, waving. At the utterance of her name, Trent’s green eyes snapped to her and he waved too; the frisbee went sailing past his head, uncaught, and plopped down into the dirt. Noah rolled his eyes.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Stupid!” Trent slapped his palm into his forehead. “I gotta keep my head in the game. Gwen’s watching!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Fantastic,” Noah folded his arms, “Little Miss Distraction shows up and two of our players go googly-eyed. There goes the game.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“We can still win this, guys,” Trent told his team as they briefly huddled together away from the other team who currently had possession of the frisbee, “We just need to get another point in the next two minutes to tie the game and it will force an overtime period.”

“Right, but even _if_ we can manage that, we’ll still have to get the lead and keep it in those five minutes,” Noah reminded skeptically.

“Trent’s right, we can do this,” Owen agreed. “I can feel it in my gut.” He paused. “Or maybe that’s just the three extra bowls of soup I had… hahaha.”

“Just harness your animal instincts, guys,” Izzy suggested. She put her hands up to either side of her mouth and hooked her index fingers to look like fangs. “Look at me! I’m a COBRA!!” She hissed and imitated snapping.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Why do we have someone mentally ill on our team again?” Noah asked the camera. “Oh right. Because she hasn’t been voted off yet.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Let’s show ‘em what the Screaming Gophers can do!” Cody broke the huddle enthusiastically.

They all found places on the field. Trent sounded off the countdown again, “Three, two, one, go!” Geoff served to Duncan. The punk was about to throw to Tyler, but Izzy was bouncing up and down in front of him making cockatoo noises. He changed tactics and tossed to Bridgette. Noah was still keeping on her, and she hesitated in sending it Geoff’s way, pivoting in place and searching for an opening. She returned it to Duncan, who had managed to punch a little further up the field, but now Trent was in the way, keeping the Bass from making further headway. Duncan sent it backward to Geoff instead.

They were stalling, Noah realized. The Bass knew they didn’t need to score any additional points to win, they just needed to keep the Gophers from scoring in the next minute or so. They had to get possession of the frisbee, and fast.

Geoff had passed to Duncan once more. Quietly, Noah peeled himself away from Bridgette, trying to take a less defensive position and posture to avoid attention. Cody glanced at him, his brow furrowing under his mop of hair a moment, then it seemed to click in his blue eyes. Owen and Trent again managed to block any passes the Bass might make up-field, and Duncan threw backward to Geoff.

Noah only had to sidestep half a meter to intercept the toss. “Cody!” he called out as he flung the frisbee, and the boy went sprinting after it. It didn’t look like he was going to quite make it— Noah had thrown it a little too hard and far— until he dove horizontally, landing front-first in the dirt, but victoriously holding the disc aloft where he’d landed past the goal line.

The campers not playing went nuts, cheering or booing respective to their teams.

“Wow, Cody, that was an amazing catch!” Owen congratulated.

“Oh, it was nothing,” Cody chuckled it off, brushing the dirt from his long sleeves. “It was Noah’s steal that was amazing,” he tried to turn the attention around.

Noah opened his mouth to say it was nothing more than a simple matter of observing the other team’s tactics when Duncan interrupted rudely, “Big deal, you tied us. Enough bragging already.”

“Oh man, nothin’ like a close game to really get the adrenaline pumpin’, huh, Bridge?” Geoff said to the surfer girl, his face a grin. She smiled, nodding. “After we win, I think we should throw a rockin’ party,” he suggested. All the Bass gave a hearty yell. It was like they were _already_ celebrating.

The game went into overtime. Not thirty seconds later, the Bass scored a point.

Cody’s mouth fell open.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“We can’t lose to the Killer Bass again,” he dispaired. “Team morale would tank!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah’s nose wrinkled. He was a cynic by nature, and the very thought that they could somehow pull a win by this point made him want to give a wry laugh. Still, he knew one person who would be more disappointed than everyone else on the team should they fail. He glanced over at Cody, whose jaw was set with determination.

Play resumed. It was clear everyone on both sides was starting to get tired, yet everyone dragged doggedly on, unwilling to surrender. When Izzy managed to get a pass in to Trent past the goal line, it was met with a roar from the on-looking campers. The overtime period ended. The only way to settle the winner of the match was by playing one last point. And the Bass were on the offensive.

They needed an ace in the hole. Something that would absolutely ensure them that last point. Noah frowned, sizing up the other team. His eyes fell on Owen. Then, it came to him.

The dark-haired boy bumped his elbow inconspicuously into Cody’s shoulder. “Whatever you do, get that frisbee to me,” he spoke softly. “Understand?”

Cody looked a little unsure, but nodded. Noah backed himself up toward the very end of the field by the Bass’ goal line.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Noah’s really stepped it up. I’m proud of him. But what’s he planning?” Cody wondered, scratching the back of his head. “He’s as far from our goal line as he can get. I’m not saying I don’t trust him… I just hope he knows what he’s doing. This’ll make or break the game.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Bridgette served. The disc passed between Tyler and Duncan. Geoff was in line to take it next, and Cody made sure he was there on the blond’s heels. He leapt at the perfect moment, stealing. Trent was open further up-field and seemed like the most sensible play; Cody glanced back at Noah, then at Trent again. He shook off his indecision and sent it sailing to Noah.

“Um, _wrong way_?!” Heather complained loudly.

Noah caught the frisbee. Quickly he reached into his cargo pocket. He’d had the luck of sneaking into the kitchen that morning when Chef was distracted and found a cinnamon roll. He’d wrapped it in a square of wax paper, hoping to save it for himself later after dinner. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. He hurriedly unwrapped the pastry and squished the icing-covered top onto the underside of the frisbee. It adhered effectively. The Bass were charging in his direction and had nearly closed the distance. He aimed carefully and flung with all his might.

The frisbee went sailing with no clear target catcher. It zinged past Owen a mere centimeter away from his nose. The large boy’s nostrils flared suddenly. “Is that… CINNAMON??” he shouted. His feet dug into the earth and he took off after the frisbee with inhuman speed. He barrelled past Duncan and Geoff, nearly trampling Tyler in his pursuit; Bridgette just barely dodged out of his path, sent spinning. Owen pounced into the air mouth-first. The disc flew right into his mouth and was quickly swallowed. But he was past the goal line.

“Screaming Gophers win!” Beth announced, wildly shaking the two tumbleweeds she’d found.

“What? No! The dude _ate_ it!” Duncan argued.

“Izzy was catching using her mouth earlier,” Cody pointed out, his fists on his hips and looking entirely smug. “You didn’t have any problem with it then.”

“Aw man, total _bummer_ ,” Geoff kicked at the ground.

Bridgette came to his side to pat the forlorn blond on the arm. “There there. Maybe we can have a runner-up party.”

The punk crossed his arms. “Whatever. You only won because you had an extra player on your team.”

“Don’t be a sore loser, Duncan,” Courtney chastised. “It’s not very becoming.”

“Nice going, Big-O,” Izzy congratulated, hopping up onto the boy’s shoulders. He beltched.

Trent scratched the back of his head. “That was our only frisbee.”

“Sorry…” Owen apologized with a sheepish laugh.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I guess that’s the last of Ultimate Frisbee at Camp Wawanawka,” Noah commented. “Can’t say I’m going to shed any tears.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Are we going to throw a party or what?” Gwen suggested. It wasn’t normally her style to suggest such a thing, but it seemed all of the Gophers were eager to rub defeat into the face of the Bass. They all began toward the dining hall, still chatting enthusiastically about the game.

Cody trotted over to the picnic table. Noah’s eyebrow tweaked. “Party’s that way,” he said, hooking his thumb.

Cody handed him the book he’d left on the table. “Yeah, but I know you don’t wanna go. Let’s celebrate somewhere quieter.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Cody doesn’t mind missing out on the team’s victory party?” Noah said aloud as if he didn’t believe it. “A party that Gwen will be at? That _Gwen_ suggested?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Yeah, I’m gonna miss out on the party. And a chance to hang out with Gwen,” Cody shrugged. “But Noah won us that game. I think he deserves to celebrate the way he wants to. And… I kinda wanna be there with him.” He grasped the edges of the toilet, swinging his feet shyly at the admittance. “I’ll find time to hang out with Gwen tomorrow.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah stood in stunned silence a moment longer. He didn’t have words to express his appreciation. So instead he leaned in to press a lingering kiss on Cody’s cheek; the other teen’s face flushed. “I know just the place,” he agreed.

Cody followed Noah a bit away from camp, coming to a hammock that had been hung between a couple of close-standing evergreens. Noah climbed into it first and Cody joined him cautiously so as to not tip the hammock. They each took a moment of shifting to find a comfortable configuration: Cody reaching his arms up and folding his hands behind his head, one leg slung out of the hammock; Noah nestled in the crook of Cody’s armpit, his book propped upright on his chest.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Have I mentioned just how nice it is to have someone next to you?” Cody said to the camera. “Like as in, physically touching? It’s the best feeling in the world.” He chuckled softly, “Noah’s way more affectionate than I would’ve guessed he’d be. It’s… really nice. I like it.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody sighed happily, staring up at the patches of blue sky past the treetops above them. No doubt the Gophers were having fun, but relaxing next to Noah was even better. He kicked his leg gently, encouraging the hammock to rock back and forth. “I knew you had it in you,” he said.

“What’s that?” Noah’s eyes didn’t lift from the page he was on.

“The ability to be a team-player, of course.”

“Don’t read into it,” Noah snorted. “You know I did it for myself.” He flicked to the next page in his book.

Cody shrugged, a smile plastered to his face. “Doesn’t change the fact you were awesome out there. Besides…” he let the word hang a moment, “I don’t think it was _entirely_ for your own benefit.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“There’s a lot more to Cody than most people see,” Noah stated. He began to list off on his fingers, “He’s smart, perceptive, and not bad at all these dumb challenges. I’d see him as a threat if we weren’t ‘seeing’ one another.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Fine. You got me,” Noah gave the smallest of chuckles. He turned, brushing Cody’s bangs aside to kiss him on the forehead. “Tomorrow is probably a challenge day; we’ll see if I don’t get voted off.”

“You’re assuming we’re gonna lose the challenge,” Cody contested. “Don’t be so pessimistic.”

“It’s called being _realistic_ ,” Noah corrected.

“Uh huh. Just like you were ‘being realistic’ when you assumed I wouldn’t date you?” Cody asked, barely holding back a smirk.

Noah opened his mouth to say something, but he didn’t have a comeback for that. He cleared his throat and repositioned the book on his chest, focusing his attention on it.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“So things have turned out differently than I expected,” Noah admitted. “Doesn’t mean he has to be a little smart-ass about it.” His seriousness held only a couple of seconds before a smile spread over his features.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m still really into Gwen,” Cody made it a point to say. “But turns out I’m a little more into Noah than I originally thought I guess, haha.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_


	4. Chapter 4

The next day they were awoken early as always. Told to gather at the small auditorium after breakfast, it was there revealed that the next challenge would be a talent contest, with three of the best performing to represent their teams, and of course that they had limited time to prepare. Eight hours, to be exact.

Heather immediately took charge of deciding who would be participating, and almost as immediately deciding that she herself would be one of the three participants.

“I dunno if I’m gonna be able to help much this time…” Cody said. “What about you, Noah? Do you have any talents?” he asked the teen.

“You mean _other_ than being sarcastic?” Noah delivered, his eyebrow giving its signature tweak.

“Point taken,” Cody said.

“It’s already been decided anyway,” Heather spoke, pointing her thumb at herself. “Me, Trent and Justin will represent the Gophers. We’re the most talented and good-looking people on the team; we’re sure to win.”

“Then you won’t be needing me,” Noah concluded, turning to leave.

“Or me,” Gwen piggy-backed, turning to leave in the opposite direction.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“As if we _ever_ needed either of those losers, puh-lease,” Heather scoffed.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody’s eyes darted between both departing campers. He’d resolved to hang out with Gwen today, but he didn’t want to completely leave out Noah either. He took a step in Gwen’s direction, only to change his mind and take a step in Noah’s direction, then hesitated again.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Couldn’t they at least walk in the same direction so I don’t have to decide between the two?” Cody said with exasperation.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

In the end, and after lots of undue thought, he took off after Gwen. It took him awhile to find her though; the girl had gone off to a secluded tree stump far from camp to write in her journal. He quickly checked his breath and the crispness of the lapels on his long-sleeve shirt before emerging from the cover of the trees. “Hey, what’cha writing?” Cody asked curiously, hoping to make small talk. He took a seat beside her.

“Please go away,” she grit out, turning slightly to hide the journal’s contents from his eyes.

“Oh, it’s private,” Cody realized. He nodded. “I get it, that’s cool. Noah likes his privacy sometimes too.”

“Is that so?” Gwen asked rhetorically, “And you’re telling me you’re not bugging him instead of me?” Her tone was suggestive, really really hoping Cody would clue on and scram.

“I probably will later,” Cody said honestly. He continued to sit, much to Gwen’s dismay. She tried her best to ignore him and focus on her writing. “You smell really pretty today,” he interjected.

“It’s… it’s just soap…” she looked mildly horrified.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Did I say something wrong?” Cody asked the camera, “I thought girls liked being told they smelled nice. That’s a thing, right?” He shrugged both his shoulders, “I’m sure Noah would’ve taken it fine if I’d said it to him. Though, I guess it would be sort of weird to tell another guy he smelled ‘pretty’…” he second-guessed himself.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Why won’t Cody just leave me alone?” Gwen asked, still clutching her journal to her chest in the bathroom confessional. “All I want is some time alone. There’s an entire island to roam. What’s so hard about that??”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Gwen had given up on writing. She headed back to camp, hoping to find some way to shake Cody off her trail. But even now he was practically following on her heels; she could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head.

“Ooh, first hook-up of the show,” Heather commented upon seeing the two of them. Noah felt his eyes drift up from his book, giving the asian girl a glare.

“Actually…” Cody spoke up to correct, until Noah cleared his throat loudly and drew finger and thumb across his mouth in a ‘zip it’ motion.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Not that I mind a select few knowing about Cody and I’s trial relationship,” Noah addressed the camera, “But Heather is _not_ among those. The less she knows, the better. Because I guarantee she’d find some way to try and use the information against us.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Oh yeah, we’re going at it so hard I need to swim just to keep cool,” Gwen replied back sarcastically, entering the girls’ cabin. Cody couldn’t follow her in of course, so he peeked through the mesh on the door, only to be struck in the face by it a moment later when Gwen re-emerged, changed into her bathing suit. She hurried out of camp, beelining for the dock.

Cody checked to make sure his nose wasn’t bleeding. It was then that a great idea popped into his head. One that would mean he wouldn’t have to decide between Gwen and Noah after all! He bolted into the boys’ cabin. Only a moment later, he was jogging up to the bench where Noah was reading, dressed in his swim shorts, a towel slung over his shoulder. “Hey, Noah! Wanna go with me down to the waterfront?” Cody asked.

“Count me in!” Owen accepted excitedly, clearly missing the fact that he hadn’t even been asked. He rushed off for the boys’ cabin to change.

Noah lowered his book to give Cody a look. “Please tell me the reason you’re so eager to go down to the waterfront is because it’s warm out and _not_ because Gwen’s there,” he spoke flatly.

The blue-eyed teen went silent, scratching at the back of his head. Which said enough.

“You know where I’ll be,” Noah muttered, returning his nose to his book.

“I’m ready!!” Owen thrust the cabin door open with his foot, now in his swim trunks. Cody shook off his disappointment and departed with Owen.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Why does Noah have to be such a stick in the mud?” Cody asked the camera. “So what if Gwen’s there? In her swimsuit…” Slowly his imagination began to take over, eyelids drawing down, “Her _wet_ swimsuit…”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Just be sure to tell me when Gwen is on her way back,” Heather instructed Beth from the porch of the girls’ cabin.

“Okay,” Beth pushed up her glasses.

Noah’s eyebrow lifted subtly. “And just what are you two up to?” he dared ask.

“What we’re up to is none of your beeswax, that’s what,” Heather snapped.

He put both hands up in feigned defense. “Forget I asked,” he mumbled out and went back to reading.

—

“CAAANNONBAAALL!!” Owen shouted as he thundered his way down the dock; the old wood almost seemed ready to collapse under his footfalls. He launched off the end, tucking into a ball before hitting the water and sending a huge splash hurtling into the air and crashing back down on the dock.

“What the hell!” Gwen shouted the expletive, now soaked from head to toe.

Cody’s head popped up out of the water right beneath her. “Hey Gwen!”

She gave a slight shriek of surprise before her brow drew down in both disgust and anger. She placed her bare foot on the top of his head and forcibly shoved him back under the water’s surface. “I’m _so_ out of here,” Gwen muttered as she stood. She stalked away, eyes narrowed at Cody, who was paddling alongside the dock in an effort to keep up with her. She was so engrossed in giving him the evil eye that she walked smack into Trent. “Trent!” she exclaimed, a blush rising immediately to her pale cheeks.

“Hey, soaking up some rays?” he asked, glad to see her.

“Y-yeah,” Gwen got out nervously. “But I was just about to go back in. Wh-what are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be practicing for tonight?”

“I was, but I decided to take a break to find some more inspiration,” he explained.

“That’s cool,” she said, not sure what else to continue the conversation with.

“Do you maybe want to go on a walk?” Trent offered.

“I’d… Yeah, I’d really like that,” Gwen said, her heart skipping a beat. She came back down to earth just as fast. “But I wouldn’t want to get in the way of you finding your muse.”

“You could never do that,” Trent said. “You’re a real inspiration to me, Gwen.”

“Well…” Gwen tried to keep the delight off her face, “Well okay then. Let’s go.” The two of them set off.

“Gwen? Hey Gwen!” Cody waved both arms as he tred water, but she didn’t seem to hear any of his cries. “Where are you going? Gwen!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Great,” Cody got out, disheartened. “First I tick off Noah, and now I drive off Gwen. Man, I really screwed up today.” He sighed. “ _Now_ who am I supposed to hang out with?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody glanced over at Owen as several bubbles rose to the surface of the water. Cody gagged at their smell.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Why did I have to ask?” Cody facepalmed.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

—

“Don’t lie to me; I know one of you went through my stuff!” There was muffled shouting from inside the girls’ cabin. Noah listened peripherally.

“Take a chill pill. You’re being paranoid; no one went through your things. Who would even _want_ to?” Heather.

“Yeah. Don’t go all kookamunga!” Izzy.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Gwen.

“You’re acting almost as crazy as Eva, _that’s_ what it means.” Courtney.

“Omigosh, she’s right!” Katie. …Or Sadie. He couldn’t actually tell which. A gasp. “And you know what happened to her!”

A few more words were hotly exchanged. Then Gwen exited, slamming the door on her way out of the cabin.

“Rough day, Greenie-Locks?” Noah looked up from his book long enough to inquire.

“Ugh, yeah, you could say that,” Gwen huffed. “Is it just me or is _everyone_ on this island acting even more annoying than usual today?”

“Definitely more annoying than usual,” the dark-haired boy confirmed.

“Thank god someone agrees with me,” the girl said emphatically. Then she realized something else that was odd. She and Noah had never actually really spoken to one another until now. Noah had always seemed closed-off, not unlike herself. Perhaps that was why it had taken them almost two weeks to even converse. She took a seat beside him. “What about you?”

“Same shit, different day,” Noah murmured.

“I feel that,” Gwen replied. “Besides Heather acting like her bitchy self, I can’t get Cody to leave me alone.”

Noah hummed, ruefully amused but not showing it. “Have you tried just telling him you’re not interested in him?” he suggested.

“Not directly…” Gwen’s mouth pulled into a slight frown. “I don’t know. I know how much it sucks to be rejected by someone you like. If I could spare him that…” She shook her head, not finishing that thought. “I sound dumb, don’t I?”

Noah had put down his novel. “Perfectly sensible, actually.”

Gwen sighed. “This whole thing could be so much easier if he could just take a hint. Why does he have to like me so much?”

Noah shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t see the appeal.”

Gwen cocked an eyebrow, recoiling just a touch. “Wow, blunt much?”

“Nothing personal,” Noah shrugged again. “Just not the way my compass is oriented.”

The green-haired girl took a moment to parse that. “Wait, you’re saying you’re…” Noah gave her a skeptical look for pausing. “Sorry,” she apologized. “I just didn’t know you were gay.”

“Why should you know? It’s not regularly relevant information,” Noah said off-handedly. He licked his thumb and turned a page.

“That’s true,” Gwen felt herself relax at his reassurance. “Like how people are constantly asking me ‘when I became goth’, or ‘why I dress this way’. It’s my lifestyle; what’s it matter to you? Why make a big deal out of it all the time?”

“You can say that again. ‘When did you first realize?’ ‘How can you be sure, have you ever been with a girl?’” Noah ran off a couple more common ones, rolling his eyes. “There’s a reason I tend to keep it to myself.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Wow, Noah is actually really cool?” Gwen said with surprise, “I had no idea he and I were so like-minded about stuff.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Gwen promised, crossing her heart. “So, I have to ask though,” she led in, now curious, “Is there anyone at camp that you like?”

“Funny you should ask…” Noah said wryly.

“No way,” Gwen gawked. “For real? _Cody_?” Noah nodded. “Okay, now it’s my turn to say ‘I don’t see the appeal’,” she teased, hands on her hips.

“Trust me, I sometimes question it myself,” Noah issued sarcastically.

She laughed. “Hey, wanna go snag a bite to eat at the dining hall before the talent show starts?”

Noah shrugged. He’d been loosely waiting for Cody to return from the waterfront to go eat together, but he hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the boy in hours. Which was honestly his own fault for shooting the teen down earlier, but he still felt slightly bitter about the whole thing. “Sure,” he agreed, pocketing his book. They stood and took their leave.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah regarded the camera, gesturing with his left hand. “So on one hand, Gwen’s really miffed a couple of the female campers. If I add my vote, it’s probable she’ll be sent home, and then there’s the chance Cody will actually start paying attention to me again.” He gestured his right, “On the other hand, I can help her out and probably earn an ally later in the game.” He shrugged, “Or it’s possible the Bass will be up for elimination. But I wouldn’t bet on that.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

He came to a decision. “Just so you know,” Noah spoke as they walked, “I’m fairly certain Heather was the one who went through your stuff. She had Beth standing guard outside the cabin earlier.”

“I knew that bitch was lying,” Gwen spat. Her anger quickly metamorphized into worry. “You don’t think she has anything evil planned, do you…?” she ventured.

“We’re talking about the same Heather, right?” Noah said dryly.

Gwen groaned, holding her head. “You’re right. Oh god, this is bad.” Noah’s eyebrow tweaked questioningly. “She’s got my diary,” the girl admitted. “There’s some really personal stuff in there.”

“Seems fairly simple to me…” Noah mused. “We steal it back before the show.”

Gwen was taken slightly aback. “You’d help me out?”

“You forget I want to see Heather squirm as much as the next person,” Noah diverted.

She smirked knowingly. “I won’t forget this.”


	5. Chapter 5

An hour later everyone was once again assembling at the audotorium, separating by teams into their sides of the benches. Noah and Gwen arrived together. “Gwen, you made it!” Trent exclaimed. “I saved you a front-row seat,” he said, standing to offer it to her.

The girl brushed her green hair back. “Thanks, Trent.” The boy headed off to go backstage and prepare. Gwen and Noah exchanged a quick glance. She sat and he peeled off, taking a seat in the back furthest from the stage.

“I’m really excited about tonight’s show,” Beth said to Lashawna as they approached. “What about you?”

“Yeah, it should be fun,” the black girl agreed. They both selected a mid-row seat.

Owen and Cody arrived as well; Cody sliding onto the bench beside Noah. He was almost surprised the teen hadn’t chosen to sit next to Gwen, considering his behavior earlier in the day. “Where’ve you been all day?” Noah inquired, eyebrow lifting.

“Owen was showing me his bottlecap collection. It’s actually pretty impressive.” He chuckled.

“Sounds riveting,” Noah responded.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“It’s every cap from every bottle of pop I’ve drunk since I was nine,” Owen explained. He tipped back a bottle of Cannonball, quickly draining it in several swift chugs. He quickly drew the back of his hand across his mouth. “I’ve got over ten thousand of them,” he grinned, showing off the bottlecap. He beltched loudly, rattling the walls of the bathroom stall.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Duncan, Tyler, and a couple other stragglers sat down and after a quick head-count, Chris began the show. Justin started things off with several poses he’d learned while being a junior model, earning an 8/10 approval from Chef Hachett. DJ was next with his ribbon dancing, and while it was pretty, Chef must not have been terribly impressed since he gave him a 5/10. Trent took the stage with his guitar next, blowing it out of the water with a 9/10. Not deterred, Courtney followed with her violin solo.

Trent rejoined Gwen. “That was a really nice song,” the girl said.

“Glad to hear you liked it,” he smiled, the two of them got lost momentarily in one another’s eyes.

Courtney finished and was awarded a 9/10 as well. “Good going, Princess!” Duncan wolf-whistled from the stands. She momentarily scowled his way and took a bow to the applause.

Out of the corner of her eye, Gwen saw Noah slip off casually into the woods. That was her cue. “Oh shoot. Um, I’ll be right back,” she said to Trent. “I’ve gotta go to the bathroom quick.” She stood and headed around backstage. It didn’t take her long at all to find Heather, who was stretching in her ballerina outfit. “Hey Heather,” Gwen approached the girl.

“What do _you_ want?” she snapped.

“I just wanted to say good luck.” The goth put her hand on her chest to convey her ‘sincerity’, “I know we’ve had our differences these past couple weeks, but I honestly think you’re our best chance of winning tonight.”

“I’m glad to hear you finally realized that,” Heather put her hands on her hips, just above her tutu. “But I don’t need your luck.”

Behind her, Noah was searching around. It didn’t take him long to locate Gwen’s journal near the pile of Heather’s neatly-folded day clothes. He inserted it into his cargo pocket and pulled one of his own books out of the other pocket, replacing it. He gave a thumbs-up to Gwen and vanished back into the woods.

“You’re probably right,” Gwen admitted, smiling. “Oh, I think you’re about to be on. You don’t want to miss your curtain call!” She turned and left.

“Hmph,” Heather huffed. She picked up Gwen’s diary and drug a stool out on stage. She addressed the crowd, “Originally, I was going to dance for you. But instead, I want to celebrate team spirit with a collaboration.” The Gophers looked between one another confusedly. “So with words by Gwen, performance by me: enjoy.” Heather cleared her throat and opened the book. “The region was putrid with the carcasses of decaying fish,” she began strong, her tone gradually becoming less certain the further in she read, “and of other less describable things which I saw protruding from the nasty mud of the unending plain?” She flipped a couple pages, searching.

“I don’t think Gwen wrote that…” Cody spoke up uncertainly.

“…Cyclopean monolith? Gigantic scaly arms…? Dagon, the _Fish-God_?? But this…” Heather stammered, flipping several more pages hurriedly, “This isn’t…” She looked up as laughter began to break out among the campers. In the very back row, Noah held up Gwen’s diary with the smuggest expression she’d ever seen on the teen.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Heather fumed. “I am going to _kill_ that little—!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Noah likes H.P. Lovecraft?” Gwen grinned. “Oh, he gets two more awesome points just for that.” She held up two fingers.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

A hook extended out from backstage. “No, wait!” Heather cried out. “I changed my mind— I’m going to dance after all—!” But before she could get any further, the hook had nabbed her around the middle and forcibly drug her off-stage, every camper still laughing their asses off.

“Talk about one stinky performance,” Chris emerged, wafting his hand in the air in front of his nose. “Doesn’t seem like Chef found it any too fresh either,” he commented as it was revealed Heather had scored a 2/10. “Speaking of… Bass, think you can do any better?”

“Right on!” Geoff exclaimed. “Time to shred, dudes!” He leapt onto his skateboard, only to snap it in two in his enthusiasm. “Oh man… that’s not so good…” he scratched his head under his hat as he evaluated the two halves.

“Shoot!” Courtney came as close to cursing as she ever did. “Back-up plan, anyone?”

The Bass ended up sending out Harold, who turned out to be one amazing beat-boxer. Scoring a 10/10, he put the Bass’ total points at 24, which was five points ahead of the Gophers’ 19. Which meant the Gophers were indeed facing another elimination.

—

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Successfully out-smarting Heather has to be the most satisfying thing I’ve done here on the island so far,” Noah revealed, the smug grin still present on his face even now. “Our team lost, but we lost with all the beauty, grace and dignity of a ballet dancer.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I think the look on Heather’s face will last me a lifetime. No matter what comes, Noah’s good in my book,” Gwen hugged her journal to her chest.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Okay, the shrimp knows now to play hardball,” Heather folded her arms calmly and shrugged. “That’s okay. I know I can’t get the support to have him voted off tonight because of that stupid frisbee game, but trust me, I _will_ find a way to have him booted off this island. In the meantime,” she smiled coyly, placing both her hands down on her knees, “It’s a simple matter of separating the wheat from the chaff.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

The Gophers gathered around the campfire once more, some looking more comfortable being there than others. The first four marshmallows were quickly distributed to Gwen, Trent, Noah, and Cody. The brown-haired boy lifted his marshmallow toward Noah in a faux-toast. Noah smirked and ‘clinked’ his on Cody’s in celebration before popping it in his mouth.

Owen, Izzy, Lashawna and Beth got theirs next, bringing it down to just Heather and Justin for the last marshmallow. Chris evaluated each camper. “Justin, you used your beauty to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ the crowd tonight. Might’ve even paid off for your team if it hadn’t been for your self-elected ‘team captain’.” All eyes went to Heather. “Heather, I don’t think it’s any exaggeration to say that you were terrible out there,” Chris continued. He put his hands on his hips. “Seriously. If it was your plan to throw the challenge, wouldn’t you have done it a little more… I don’t know, elegantly?”

“Not that I don’t appreciate constructive criticism, Chris,” Heather said with fake sweetness, “But you seem to have forgotten to give me my marshmallow.”

The television host looked unimpressed. “Unfortunately, she’s right. The last marshmallow goes to…” he let it draw out regardless. “Heather,” he tossed it toward her. He gave Justin a sympathetic look, “Sorry, brah. Boat of Losers awaits.”

Justin stood, back hunched, and left toward the Dock of Shame. Lashawna moved her head from one shoulder to the other and back again, “Mm _mmm_! I hate to see him go but I love to watch him leave!”

“He does have a really nice butt,” Owen said. Many of the campers shot him a look.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“D’oh! Why did I _say_ that?!” Owen smacked himself in the head. “I meant he was a real asset to the team!” He chuckled, eyes defocusing, “Heh, ass-et.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah stood and, without excusing himself, began to head back to camp. As far as he was concerned, the ceremony had finished and there wasn’t any point in hanging around. He’d gotten about halfway there when he felt a hand encircle his wrist.

“Noah, wait up!” Cody said.

“What for?” the dark-haired boy asked, tone flat.

“For this,” Cody said, and half a beat later, he threw his arms around Noah, hugging him tight.

Noah blinked in surprise; he didn’t reciprocate it at first, but eventually returned the embrace, albeit a little uncertainly. “Where did that come from?” Noah asked when the other had let him go.

“I really missed you,” Cody admitted sheepishly, kicking the ground. “I wish we’d spent more time together today.”

Noah’s tongue prodded the inside of his mouth.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“So all day Cody ignores me, and then, at the very end of the night, he gives me a hug?” there was a noticeable strain of annoyance in Noah’s voice. He gave a quick sigh. “The thing is, I _know_ I’m not in a position to tell Cody he needs to choose between me and Gwen,” Noah stated simply. “All I can do is enjoy the time we have together currently and _hope_ he eventually gets over her.” He pointed at the camera, “And that’s not ‘pessimism’. That’s being realistic.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Yeah. Sorry,” he made the apology with slight reluctance. “I should’ve gone to the waterfront with you. I guess I let my jealousy get in the way.”

“Are you kidding?” Cody floundered, “ _I’m_ sorry. I was only thinking about what I wanted; I shouldn’t’ve been so selfish.”

The two of them stood looking anywhere but each other a long moment.

“So… are we cool?” Cody asked hopefully, breaking the silence.

“Consider it water under the bridge,” Noah agreed. Cody glommed onto him once more, snuggling his face into his sweatervest.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I was so worried we were going to have a fight…” Cody confessed, tapping his fingers together. “Or worse… break up.” He swallowed roughly. “I know lots of relationships go through rough waters sometimes, but I want this thing between Noah and me to last.” His eyes then widened and face flushed red. “I— I-I’m not saying me and Gwen don’t still have a shot together. All I’m saying is Noah and I get along. Yeah! That’s what I meant to say. Eh heh…” he gave a nervous chuckle.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“It’s possible I let him off a little easy,” Noah conjectured, “As much as it pains me to admit this, Cody’s too cute to stay mad at for long.” He cleared his throat, “The hugs may have helped too.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“So…” Noah drew out, slipping his hands into his pockets as the two of them resumed their route to the campground, “Seems you were right about that whole ‘playing frisbee with the team’ thing,” he mentioned, looking to get onto a different topic.

“Told ya,” Cody grinned.

“You also told me we’d win the challenge,” Noah stated, a hint of teasing evident in his voice.

“Well we would’ve if it hadn’t been for Heather; we were leading by three points,” Cody said. He scratched his head. “What was up with that anyway? First of all, I really don’t think Heather and Gwen would collaborate, and second, Dagon the Fish-God?”

“No idea,” Noah lied.

“Oh well,” Cody shrugged. “Guess it worked out in the end.” He wrapped his arm into Noah’s elbow. “We’re both still here on the island.”

“And I intend to keep it that way,” Noah smirked. He bowed his head enough to give the shorter teen a brief eskimo kiss.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody hugged himself in delight right there in the stall. “Make that I really, _really_ want this to last,” he corrected. He gave a long, happy sigh.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_


	6. Chapter 6

Cody’s tongue pushed partially through the gap in his teeth in concentration, shuffling around the letter tiles on his wooden rack in search of a good word to place down on the board. Noah watched him patiently from the other side of the board. Cody was cute when he was deep in thought. “Aha!” Cody snapped his fingers then, and he assembled ‘GIZMO’ with the Z on a triple letter score. “Thirty-seven points,” he proclaimed, putting his hands on his hips triumphantly.

“You’re getting better at this, small fry,” Noah complimented. Swiftly, he put down his own tiles he’d been planning to utilize across a double word score. “Fifty-two points,” he calculated.

Cody’s mouth fell open. “‘Quixotic’? Is that even a word??”

From his bunk, Harold’s nose drew out of his comic book. “Quixotic: An adjective,” he spoke up as if he’d been summoned as a human dictionary, “Used to describe that which is exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.”

Noah gestured his hand provingly. “Example: Harold’s ambitions to win one hundred thousand dollars on a reality TV show were quixotic at best.”

The red-haired teenager scoffed loudly. “As if. My superior skills are destined to take me to the top three finalists. _Gosh_.”

“Could you three please play your little brain-games somewhere else?” Duncan complained, rolling over in bed lazily. “You’re geeking up the place.”

“Or _you_ could leave,” Noah suggested, picking up new tiles to replace those he’d placed.

Cody sprawled out on the floor with a soft groan, ready to forfeit. “Noah, after this can we play something I can actually _win_?” They’d been in the cabin the majority of the morning, and in that time he’d lost half a dozen games of Hangman, two rounds of Battleship, a game of Mastermind, and what was looking to soon be three games of Scrabble.

Noah shrugged acquiescingly. “What do you want to play?”

Cody popped right up from the floor and hurried over to his luggage stuffed under his bunk. He scrounged for only a moment before holding aloft a copy of Super Smash Bros Brawl. “Wicked!” Harold commented as Cody unpacked his Wii and several nunchuck controllers.

The brown-haired teen grinned. “I also brought along Mario Kart,” he said, shaking the box.

“That’s great and all,” Noah spoke, ever sarcastic, “But how do you propose we play those without a TV and a power source?”

“I know where we can find a TV,” Harold broke in again. All eyes in the cabin went to him, knowing exactly what he was thinking even though he hadn’t said it.

“Oh man,” Duncan laughed, slapping his forehead, “McLean will be _pissed_.” He pointed a finger-gun, “Count me in.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Breaking into the production control room and stealing a TV doesn’t sound like a recommended camp activity,” Noah said flatly.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“It’s not like we’re going to steal one of Chris’ TVs,” Cody said, “We’re just gonna borrow it awhile and then put it back. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with that, right? Aha.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I knew this guy in juvie who was doing time for shoplifting flatscreen TVs from a department store,” Duncan shared with the camera. “Guy had the _worst_ mullet I’ve ever seen. It looked like a rat crawled on his head and straight-up died. We used to call him ‘Roadkill’. Oh man, those were good times.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Of course, it would be optimal to sneak in under the cover of night,” Harold shaded his eyes with a hand. “Like the deadly samurai! Who-ha!” he chopped his hands through the air. “But I think we can make it work during the daytime.” He nodded.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah knew that no matter what he said, this was happening. He sighed resignedly, picking up the Scrabble board and dumping the pieces back into the box.

—

The four of them managed to navigate their way to the large tent that served as the show’s production booth. They’d approached away from the main path to avoid attention and were now crouched behind some trees and brush, watching the tent for any activity that might alert them that someone was occupying it.

“Well, it isn’t a challenge day…” Cody breathed out softly. “So it’s probably not in use, right?”

“The code of the ninja dictates we should lie in wait for at least half an hour to be certain of the enemy’s movements,” Harold inputted.

“Yeaaah,” Duncan drew out, rolling his green eyes in a wide circle, “I’m not waiting in these bushes for half an hour.”

Izzy popped out of the bushes right next to them, causing them all to jump. “Hey guys, what’cha doin’?” she asked exuberantly. “Are you on a mission of _espionage_?”

Cody clutched his heart. “Izzy! You scared the hell out of us!”

“Whoopsie! Sorry, striped-yellow-polo-kid, hehe,” she apologized, not sounding very sorry.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“My name is _Cody_ ,” Cody said with exasperation, “How does she _not_ know that?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Think you could maybe keep it down before you get us caught?” Noah spat with some annoyance.

“So it _is_ a mission of espionage!” she exclaimed. Izzy clapped her hands together with quick excitement. “Just tell Izzy how to help!” she offered, referring to herself in the third person.

“You can start by stuffing a sock in it,” Duncan said, shoving her back. He stood. “The four of us are going inside. Stay here in the bushes and alert us if anyone’s coming.”

“Okel-dee-dokel-dee!” the orange-haired girl saluted. “I’m a watchdog! Arf arf!”

Cautiously they tread out of the bushes. Harold lifted the flap on the tent, peeking in. Seeing no one, he waved the others in.

“Well, we have plenty to chose from,” Noah commented, an eyebrow lifted high on his head. There were ten TVs mounted to the wall, each displaying different camera views of the camp. Cody hmm’d thoughtfully, walking over to the control panel and pressing the ‘cycle cameras’ button of TV #10. It flipped to an alternate view of the dining hall, where Beth was braiding lanyard together for a keychain. He pressed it a few more times, switching from the dock where Trent and Geoff were fishing to the beachfront where Katie and Sadie were sun-tanning to the forest where DJ was bird watching.

“Jeez, Chris can really spy on us with these,” he realized.

“Are you surprised?” Duncan folded his arms. “This place is basically a prison with him and Hatchet as our wardens. Or did the shitty food _not_ tip you off?”

“A grim but not altogether inaccurate analogy,” Harold commented from beneath the desk where he’d crouched to start sorting through the many tangled wires to disconnect one of the TVs.

“We waived most of our privacy rights when we signed the contract before the show,” Noah stated, “Didn’t any of you read it?”

“Dude, it was four hundred and thirty-three pages long,” Duncan snorted.

“And…?” Noah asked, as if it were a moot point.

“Could someone please follow his coaxial cable and tell me where it leads?” Harold spoke up. Cody got down underneath the desk to lend a hand.

“Oh man, look who’s on the john!” Duncan exclaimed then, pointing to TV #7. He turned the volume dial on the control panel up.

_‘I just really miss Lindsay…’_ Tyler said, looking forlorn. _‘She was all I could think about yesterday. I wanted to use my rad yo-yo tricks for the talent show, cuz I know she’s watching from home, but the team chose Harold instead! Can you believe that?’_

“Boo hoo,” Duncan mocked, “my girlfriend got kicked off the island and I can’t get the tear stains out of my tracksuit!”

“Are you always this mature?” Noah commented dully to the performance.

“Ca-caw! Ca-caw!”

“Dude, that is one _ugly_ -ass sounding bird,” Duncan’s monobrow arched.

“That’s because it’s not a bird…” Noah’s eye twitched, “It’s Izzy.”

The Bass and Gophers all glanced between one another.

“Then let’s just grab one and go!” Duncan said, seizing one of the monitors.

“Don’t—!” Harold started, but it was too late, the punk had ripped the device right off the wall. One of the wires sparked and the tent smoldered a moment before catching fire. “ _Idiot_!” Harold shook his head. Cody yelped and bolted for the nearest fire extinguisher.

“Ca-caw! Ca-caw ca-caw!!” The warning sounded more insistent.

“We need more time,” Duncan said. Next thing Noah knew, the green-mohawked teen had grabbed him by the shoulders. “Egghead, you go stall whoever’s out there.” He shoved him out of the tent.

He came face-to-face with Chef Hatchet. The shadow of the man fell over him; he felt paralyzed from the head down. It took him a moment to shake off the feeling and find his voicebox. “What do you know? Just the person I was looking for.”

“What’chu doin’ in the production tent, boy?” Hatchet interrogated.

“Breakfast,” was the first thing out of Noah’s mouth.

“Breakfast was six hours ago,” the intimidatingly-large man said.

“Right. Well. It was delicious,” he bluffed. “I was hoping I could get the recipe. To take home. For next Mother’s Day.” Admittedly, sarcasm was his strong suit, not out-and-out lying.

“You liked it?” the chef said in surprise. “The eggs was five weeks old! And they was seagull eggs.”

“Wow. Didn’t even notice,” Noah continued to feign. “Must’ve been all the other quality ingredients.”

The man scratched his chin. “Sure, I guess I can show ya. It’s my own version of Eggs Benedict; I call ‘em Eggs Hatchet.” He withdrew a carving knife out from under his apron suddenly; Noah gave a tiny screech. The man laughed and his huge arm came down over Noah’s shoulders, making the boy flinch. “Let’s you an’ me go to the kitchen.” Noah felt himself be physically dragged across the ground.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Huh. The know-it-all actually pulled it off,” Duncan said with some measure of surprise. “I was kind of hoping Hatchet would make him into tomorrow’s meatloaf, but eh,” he shrugged, “Take what you can get, I suppose.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Duncan’s head peeped out of the tent flap, glancing around. He called back to the other two, “We’re in the clear, guys.”

—

About an hour and one needlessly frightening recipe lesson later, Noah escaped Chef Hatchet’s kitchen. It wasn’t long before he bumped into Cody, who was going around spreading the word to other campers about the upcoming ‘Brawl Tournament’. “It’s at six o’clock tonight in the old boathouse; wanna come?” he asked Geoff.

“Dude, so gonna be there! That sounds massively epic!” the blond high-fived the shorter teen.

“Noah!” Cody noticed the dark-haired boy, jogging up to him. “We’ve got it all set up!” Cody grinned. “Harold and I figured out how to put four of the TVs together so we’d have one big screen to play on. DJ and Trent even helped us drag in one of the futons and a bunch of extra pillows to sit on. Everyone’s really psyched!”

Cody most of all, it seemed. He wondered briefly how many of the campers Cody had invited. Noah chuckled and ruffled the other’s fluffy hair. “So then, what are we doing until six?”

“Well, we haven’t had much time to be alone yet today…” Cody began smoothly, intertwining his fingers with Noah’s as he endeavored to turn up his charm. “Wanna go into the woods and fix that?” he waggled his eyebrows.

Noah smirked. “You read my mind, Romeo.” He put a kiss on the tip of the other boy’s nose.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Thinking back to old crushes I’ve had, all my come-ons have always pretty much fallen flat,” Cody revealed with a chuckle, scratching at the back of his head. “Noah’s the first person I’ve flirted with successfully. I mean, we _are_ dating, so I guess it makes sense… I’m just saying it’s a pretty nice feeling not being rejected all the time. Junior High really sucked for me! Eh heh…”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

The two of them left camp hand-in-hand to find a place they’d be certain to be alone. Noah took a seat leaning back against a tree trunk and Cody joined him, sitting shoulder to shoulder. The dark-haired teen got out his latest novel, placing it in his lap. A moment later Cody felt Noah’s arm snake around his back. Cody let himself be pulled closer, setting his head down in the crook of Noah’s shoulder happily.

It was hard to keep track of how many minutes went by, the only indicator of time passing being the occasional rustle as Noah flipped a page in his book. While he was perfectly content to cuddle in silence, eventually he couldn’t hold back any longer. “Hey, Noah?” he interrupted softly.

“Hm?”

Cody lifted his head. “I just wanted to say… I’m really glad you asked me to start going out with you. You’re really awesome.”

Noah’s gaze pulled away from his book. “Me? Awesome? You must be delusional. Are you dehydrated?”

“I mean it!” Cody argued, giving the brown-eyed teen a light shove.

“Fine,” Noah conceded, “I’ll believe that you _think_ I’m awesome.” He lifted his book up to his face as if the matter had been closed.

Cody put his palm down on Noah’s book, forcing it down. “You _are_ awesome,” he fought, “You’re like, the best boyfriend a guy like me could ask for!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody’s blue eyes widened into saucers, slapping both his hands over his mouth.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Okay. So Cody and I have been trying things out for five days now,” Noah began introspectively. “I think we’ve both been avoiding using the term ‘boyfriend’ because it implies a certain degree of ‘officialness’ neither of us were prepared to commit to, for our own separate reasons.” His brow drew back down to its usual state, “I want to think it’s a good sign, but it would be, dare I say, _quixotic_ ,” he used air-quotes, “to get my hopes up.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“You’re not a half bad boyfriend yourself,” Noah returned nonchalantly.

“I… I…” Cody sputtered, tongue-tied, until what Noah had said had caught up to him. “You… you really think so?” He scratched the back of his head. “W-well, thanks.”

Noah smooched the side of his face; Cody felt his heart rush for just an instant. “C’mon,” the brown-eyed teen said, standing and offering Cody a hand up, “Your Brawl thing is going to be starting soon. You don’t want to miss it.”

For a moment he’d almost forgotten about it. Cody accepted Noah’s help up, a grin appearing on his features. “You’re not missing it either. You may have an edge at Scrabble, but _I’m_ a master at Smash Bros,” he nodded confidently.

For once Noah felt like Cody wasn’t exaggerating. They headed for the boathouse.


	7. Chapter 7

It was on their way to the boathouse that they came across a sight that made Noah’s eyebrow raise higher than it usually did. Namely, the string of multicolored Christmas lights strung between the extention cord and the boathouse. “Well, that’s not even remotely conspicuous,” he said.

“Oh yeah,” Cody chuckled, “The extention cord didn’t quite reach, so Beth lent us the string lights she decorates her bunk with.”

“So is _everyone_ in on this now?” Noah asked.

“‘Scuse me, coming through!” Owen bumped into Noah on his way to the door, carrying perhaps a dozen bags of cheesepuffs in his arms (one of them open and at present being poured into his voluminous mouth). It seemed to answer Noah’s question.

“Well, everyone knows Brawl gets more fun the more people there are to play,” Cody said. He opened the door for Owen to go through and then held it for Noah, playing the gentleman.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Nothing I love more than huge impromptu social gatherings,” Noah rolled his eyes. “The things I do for ‘love’,” he delivered the joke with a tweak of his eyebrow.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

A cheer rose up as they entered, rendering Noah wide-eyed like a deer in the headlights. “The man of the hour arrives!” Geoff exclaimed, referring to the gap-toothed boy beside him. “Let’s get this shindig started, dudes!”

“Right on!” Cody agreed, making his way toward his Wii to turn it on. Noah followed him loosely. Somehow every single camper had managed to cram themselves into the tiny boathouse; Gwen, Trent, Courtney, and Lashawna were squeezed next to one another on the futon, with Beth and Bridgette each sitting on either arm of the couch and Tyler stretched out along the back. Duncan and DJ had both pulled up wooden crates to sit on, and Katie, Sadie, and Owen were seated on the floor with cushions under their tushes. Izzy, Harold and Geoff were all laying on their stomachs hugging pillows. And Heather was standing toward the back with her arms crossed. Even with everyone there, the two of them had been left a place to sit ‘front row and center’.

“Alright, who wants to play the first match?” Cody grinned, holding aloft the four Wiimotes.

“Obviously those of us who risked life and limb to get the TVs should get to go first,” Harold reasoned.

“Makes sense to me,” Duncan gave a smug smile, putting his hand out. Cody handed him and Harold each one of the controllers, then extended one toward Noah.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I’m more of an RPG-player most of the time,” Noah told the camera, gesturing off his hip, “But I’ve logged my share of hours on numerous fighting games.” He smirked almost devilishly, “Cody has _no_ idea what he’s about to be up against.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“And the object of this game is…?” Noah drew out skeptically as he watched the game’s boot-up sequence.

“You try to knock the other players off the map,” Cody answered.

“And that’s accomplished how…?” Noah continued to fake noobishness.

“The higher a character’s damage percentage, the higher their knock-back, the more likely they are to get hit out of the playing area,” the brown-haired boy explained. “And each character has their own special abilities and attacks. Plus there are lots of randomized items that show up and you can use in the matches. Don’t worry,” he reassured upon seeing the spreading confusion on Noah’s face, “You’ll get the hang of it once you start playing.”

“Yeaaah… maybe I should watch a couple games first,” Noah said, handing the Wiimote off to Izzy. The orange-haired girl gave a snarl of delight and began mashing buttons before they’d even gotten to the character select screen.

Cody took Link, Harold R.O.B., Duncan Meta Knight, and Izzy Olimar, beginning a survival match. Noah leaned back cooly as he observed the game progress, focused most on watching Cody’s gameplay. While Harold made a worthy opponent, Cody still had the upper-hand; meanwhile Duncan struggled to compete with the other two’s obvious knowledge of the game and Izzy was jumping off cliffs ‘for fun’. In the end, Cody came out victorious.

“Haha!” he laughed, “Who’s next? Anyone think they can beat me?”

“I’ll give it a try,” Trent said.

“Ooh, me!” Beth waved her hand over her head.

“Lemme have a go at it!” Geoff grinned.

Another round began. This time Cody took Samus, while Trent selected Mario, Beth Princess Peach and Geoff the Ice Climbers. It was a haphazard match on one of the bigger maps, but the result was the same, even with all of them ganging up on Cody, none of them could hold their own against the boy.

“Oh man, talk about _wrecked_!” Geoff laughed at his own failure as he was the last player knocked off the stage.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Oh man, I am _such_ a boss at this game,” Cody bragged in the bathroom. “This is sooo much more fun than _Scrabble_.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Next?” the blue-eyed boy grinned confidently, twirling the Wiimote around his finger by the wristband. Owen, DJ and Bridgette played him next. His skill with Yoshi beat out Owen’s Kirby, DJ’s Pikachu and Bridgette’s Zero Suit Samus. He blew on his fingers and buffed his nails out on his shirt.

“Someone’s _gotta_ be able to beat this boy,” Lashawna commented, picking up one of the controllers. Katie and Sadie both reached for the other two.

“Give me that,” Heather snatched the Wiimote from Sadie.

“Rude!” Sadie put her hands on her hips.

“Totally rude,” Katie agreed.

“You can lose to Cody in the next match,” Heather rolled her eyes. She selected Ganondorf. Lashawna took Bowser and Katie took Jigglypuff. Cody went for Pit. The match began.

“Isn’t Jigglypuff just like the _cutest_ character?” Katie said, bouncing the avatar about on the platform.

“Omigosh, she so totally _is_ ,” Sadie agreed. “Just like you, Katie!” The two squealed and hugged.

“You have to _play_ to win!” Courtney slapped her forehead.

“Speak for yourself, sister,” Duncan ribbed. “I notice _you_ haven’t tried beating ‘undefeated lightweight champion Cody Anderson’,” he mimicked a wrestling announcer voice, “‘standing 1.6 meters and weighing in at a hundred pounds’.”

She scoffed, folding her arms. “I was giving other people the chance to play. It’s called _being nice_. Or maybe you haven’t heard of it.”

‘GAME!’ flashed up on the quadrupled-screen in record time. “Who’s left?” Cody asked, crossing his legs at the ankles and feigning a yawn.

Courtney snagged up one of the Wii remotes. Katie handed hers off to Sadie and Gwen took the last. Sadie quickly selected Jigglypuff to match her BFFF and Gwen contemplated awhile before settling on Fox McCloud. “Nice pick, Gwen,” Cody commented, taking Lucario; Noah felt his eyes roll. Courtney went for Zelda.

“The princess selects the princess, I notice,” Duncan didn’t stop teasing.

“Oh shut up,” Courtney blew a raspberry at him.

The match began. Perhaps predictably, Cody only attacked Sadie and Courtney to begin with. It didn’t take them long to lose all their alotted lives, leaving just he and Gwen. It was quite obvious he was playing at a lower level, giving Gwen the chance to get some good hits in on him and up his damage percentage past 100%.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Is Cody seriously letting me get hits in?” Gwen asked frustratedly. “Does he have any clue how annoying and un-fun that is??”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I’ll admit it, I’m going easy on Gwen,” Cody said. “It may even _look_ like I’m about to let her win. But I’m playing Lucario. Everyone knows that the higher his damage percentage gets, the more powerful he gets.” He leaned back in the stall, “I’m just biding my time.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

He saw a Smash Ball spawn in the stage. A quick up-B combo later and he’d snagged it, unleasing Lucario’s Aura Storm. Gwen failed to dodge and Fox McCloud was sent hurtling head-over-heels way, way off the platform, securing Cody his fifth win in a row.

“So,” Cody’s hands went to his hips, “Not many of you left to challenge me.” He grinned with a sly tilt of his head. Tyler picked up one of the controllers uncertainly.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“This is one time I don’t think my awesome finger strength is gonna help me,” Tyler said nervously.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“You’ve had plenty of time to watch and see how it’s done,” Cody nudged Noah with his elbow. “You ready to play?” Cody offered his Wiimote to him.

“I don’t think you’re giving me a choice,” Noah answered, taking it. He selected Ike (a personal favorite of his), while Tyler chose Captain Falcon. Cody picked Link.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Until now, Cody has played a different character each time,” Noah observed, “And so far, the person that’s come closest to beating him was Harold in the very first match. I can thus assume he’s most confident playing Link. I’ll have to be careful; Link is much faster than Ike,” he began to explain his strategy, “I’ll probably be taking a lot of hits, but as long as I can stay on the platform, that won’t matter. The infrequent hits I make will be significantly more damaging.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Because there were only three of them, they picked one of the small stages that consisted of just a platform. Noah grinned-- piece of cake. ‘3’, ‘2’, ‘1’, ‘GO!’ hit the screen. His fingers sprung into action. Ike tore into Captain Falcon, sword swishing in wide, devastating arcs. Tyler was so shocked he dropped his controller down between the couch cushions.

Cody directed Link to intercept, attacking Ike with button-pressing vigor. Noah was ready for it, dodging what he could of the barrage and taking the rest as he vied for his own hits. Both their damage counters grew, but Noah’s faster, as he’d predicted. He began to do more aerial attacks, keeping out of range of Cody’s primarily horizontal moves. Several times Ike was sent spiralling off-screen, but always at a very steep angle, making it easy for Noah to land safely back on the platform, despite his high percentage. Tyler’s character had long since been smacked off, not once but twice, and the boy forfeited.

Cody propped his tongue in the corner of his mouth, turning his controller somewhat as he tried to battle against Noah’s annoying stategy. Next thing he knew, Link was tossed back and just as he was recovering, Ike swung his sword in a wide arc at just the right moment, striking him at the perfect 45° angle to be unrecoverable.

This went on. Ike was tossed off the platform, then Link again, and then Ike. It came down to each of their third and final lives, and everyone was on the edge of their seat because not even Harold had gotten Cody down to his last life. Their percentages were both high, sparring mercilessly. Noah’s tactic got even more vicious; he knocked Link off and purposely jumped off the edge of the platform to strike at Link a second time to ensure he couldn’t recover, before double-leaping to catch hold of the edge and saving himself.

“No no no no no!” Cody shouted and then ‘GAME!’ splashed across the screen.

The whole room was staring at Noah. “What?” he shrugged.

“I thought you didn’t know how to play!” Cody exclaimed. “You _tricked_ me!”

Noah only smirked. “And you fell for it hook, line and sinker.” He didn’t have time to duck the pillow Cody swung at him, taking it right in the face. “Aah!” His arms windmilled, but he toppled backward onto his back. Cody didn’t relent, quickly stradling him and continuing to smack the pillow repeatedly down on his head each time he attempted to lift it.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Would it be too much to ask for _one_ day where I don’t get hit in the face?” Noah asked, but the slight smirk he was trying to hold back seemed to indicate this was one time he didn’t mind all that much.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“IRL brawl!!” Beth shouted, grabbing up her own pillow and pelting Heather.

“What the hell?!” Heather scoffed. Both Katie and Sadie ganged up on her from either side. She squawked, trying to shield herself with her arms, to no avail. Duncan whopped Harold, Gwen nailed Geoff, and before long it devolved into a free-for-all chaos, every camper for themselves.

“Oh no you di’n’t!” Lashawna came after Duncan in Harold’s defense.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“She is _so_ beautiful,” Harold said, “ _Especially_ when she’s angry.” The stick of a boy gave a dreamy sigh of admiration.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Go, Izzy! Ahahaha!” Owen laughed, watching the girl climb the back of the couch to pounce off it and perform a pillow-padded elbow smash on Tyler. His brown eyes bugged out on impact. Owen was reaching into his bag of Cheetos when a rampant pillow smacked the open bag out of his hand, sending the orange-powdered pieces scattering over the floor of the boathouse. It didn’t take long for several of them to be trampled underfoot in the scuffle. The large camper gasped in dismay at the destruction of his snacks, hitting the deck in an attempt to gather them back up. DJ was backing up as he defended himself against Trent, and didn’t notice Owen had leapt behind him. He tripped over him, giving a yelp, and the Wiimote he’d been holding went flying out of his hand. The controller struck the top right TV, lodging itself in the screen.

Almost immediately the brawling ceased. “Oh shit!” Cody gawked. Noah (finally able to lift his head) propped himself up on his elbows, eying the damaged flatscreen.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Honestly? Everyone should have seen that one coming,” Noah commented aloofly.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

The TV smoked, then fell off its mount and landed screen-down on the ground. And, with comedy-perfect timing, the door to the boathouse suddenly opened. Standing in the doorframe was Chris and Chef Hatchet. “What is going _on_ in here?” the former asked.

“Busted!” Duncan chortled. Lashawna and Courtney both swatted him with their pillows.

The show host put his hands on his hips. “Decided to throw a little party, huh? I should remind you, destruction of company property is a _major_ breach of contract,” he said, seeming less peeved and more mishievous; Hatchet cracked his knuckles. “It might even be an immediate elimination offense…” He waggled his eyebrows, eyes scanning over the campers, waiting for one of them to volunteer who was responsible. Cody’s eyes darted anxiously between campers.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Section 12, paragraph 34: Destruction of any piece of company property which purpose is not solely to be destroyed during show production shall result in the ejection of the party at-fault, unless otherwise over-ruled by host Chris McLean,” Noah recited from memory, as if it were common knowledge. “Seriously, you’re telling me _no one else_ read the contract?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“This whole thing was Cody’s idea,” Heather told the camera with disdain. “As much as I’d love to inform Chris, the rest of the team actually seems to _like_ the disgusting little twerp. I’d be next on the chopping block. And that is _not_ happening.” She crossed her arms huffily.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Oh man,” Geoff tugged on his hat, “The little dude could be in _serious_ trouble! And all cuz we went overboard.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Silence was stretching. Cody looked ready to pop, his top teeth biting into his lower lip. “I’m Sparticus!” Owen shouted suddenly.

Noah felt his eyes roll. Were they really doing this? Fine. “I’m Sparticus,” he announced flatly.

“I’m Sparticus!” DJ chimed in, and Harold and Trent chimed in next.

Duncan cupped his hands over his mouth, “I’m Sparticus!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“What?” the punk gave the camera a glare, “You thought I was gonna rat out the little geek?” He folded his arms with a snort, “It’s not like Chris promised me amnesty.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Soon almost the whole boathouse was doing it. “Fine! _Fine_!” Chris shook his open palms at them to knock it off. “So much for quality entertainment.” He folded his arms. “Since none of you will tell me who did it, the only solution is to punish you all equally. Tomorrow’s challenge was actually a pretty easy one. But I guess I’ll have to find a way to make it a little bit harder on you guys, heh heh.” The campers groaned collectively.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody gave a tremendous sigh of relief. “I thought I was a goner. Not even any of the Bass tattled on me? I can’t believe it!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“That said,” Chris continued mercilessly, the size of his grin an indicator of what was in store, “I’d turn in for the night if I were you. It’s going to be a looong day tomorrow. Oh, and I’m confiscating this,” he added, picking up the Wii console and stuffing it under an arm. “Whoever it belongs to can get it back once they leave the island.”

Hatchet held open the door. The campers walked out in single-file, some looking dejected, others annoyed, and some sheepish; they split off for their cabins.

“Kids these days, huh?” Chris said when they’d all left, hands on his hips.

“Jus’ no appreciation for the great outdoors,” Hatchet agreed, “Always gotta be glued to their screens.”

There was a short pause before Chris’ face cracked with a grin. “Want to play some Mario Kart?”

Chef nodded and shut the boathouse door.


	8. Chapter 8

The sun was high overhead and the campers were all still in their cabins sawing at logs. In the boys’ cabin, Harold was the first to awaken. Per usual, he rolled over to paw around for his glasses, squinting hard until the moment he was able to put them on his face. He sat up and scratched an itch through his cowboy pjs. “Does it feel late to any of you guys?” he asked confusedly.

His question stirred the rest of the cabin. Geoff lifted his hat which had been covering his face and poked the alarm clock on the bedstand to check the time. His blond eyebrows lifted. “Dudes, it’s like eleven-thirty,” he remarked.

“Chris let us sleep in??” Duncan said, peeking out the window slats with incredulty.

“I knew the guy couldn’t be mean _all_ the time,” DJ said.

“I guess you’re right,” Trent agreed with a smile.

“Oh man, that felt _good_ ,” Cody said as he sat up, stretching his back and shoulders. “I haven’t gotten to sleep in like that since _last_ summer! Haha.”

“Oh no! Did I sleep through breakfast?!” Owen gasped in dismay.

Noah drew his head up from his pillow dazedly, his hair a ruffled mess. “No wake-up call? Why do I have a really bad feeling about this?” he queried rhetorically.

“I’m with cerebral cortex,” Duncan hooked his thumb at Noah, “Something’s definitely up.” He jumped down from his top bunk, quickly sloughing off his wifebeater and pulling on his long sleeves and pants, already on his way out the door.

He found Chris lounging in a beach chair in the middle of the campground, a pair of sunglasses on as he soaked up the late morning rays. “The dead walk,” he commented upon seeing Duncan. “I’ll just wait until everyone’s here. No sense in rushing anyone.” He laughed privately.

“You mind explaining what’s so funny?” the delinquent demanded.

“I actually _do_ ,” Chris snarked. “So how about you keep your shorts on and wait for your fellow campers like I said before?”

Duncan rolled his eyes and sat on a stump. The other contestants began to gather outside, emerging one by one or in pairs.

“So, is today actually a challenge day or what?” asked Gwen, folding her arms impatiently. She, like Duncan, seemed to suspect foul play.

The showhost put his hands on his hips. “I’m glad you asked, Gwen. And now that everyone’s here, I’ll answer that question: Yes.” He clapped his hands together. “The object of today’s challenge will be surviving a night out in the woods,” he continued. “Originally, all your supplies were waiting for you at a pre-established location. But thanks to last night’s little escapade…” there was another groan from the campers, “You’ll have to hunt them down first.” He grinned, pulling two maps out of his shirt pocket and tossing them to both the Bass and Gophers; Gwen caught one and Duncan caught the other. “Use these maps to locate the supply groupings, then assemble camp before dark. Trust me, you do _not_ want to be travelling these woods in the dark.” He laughed then, as if there were something he wasn’t telling the campers, making them all pass nervous glances at each another. “Just a shame you all slept in so late…” he spoke mockingly, “if you’d gotten an earlier start, I bet this challenge would be _a lot_ easier.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Letting us sleep in was just a ruse?” Trent wondered aloud. “Man, Chris really knows how to work the angles on this show.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Do you think it would be a ‘major breach of contract’ if I rearranged McLean’s face?” Duncan asked, punching his knuckles into his palm.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Courtney put her hands on her hips, eyes narrowed. “Um, changing the challenges the night before they’re filmed? _Now_ who’s breaching the contract? I’m going to get in touch with my lawyer.” She pulled out her cell phone and began to dial.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“The first team that makes it back the following morning wins invincibility. Good luck!” Chris winked and walked out of camp.

Gwen went over to the nearest picnic table, unfolding the map to lay it out flat. The Gophers gathered round to look. “There’s three supply groupings,” Gwen said, pointing to each on the map as she named them off, “Camp provisions,” on the eastern beach eleven kilometers away, “a 10-person tent,” in the caves fourteen kilometers away, “and sleeping bags,” furthest away in the hills eighteen kilometers away. “Our campsite is here,” she put her finger down on the spot marked in the forest which was at the approximate midpoint between all three supply groups.

“I say we split into three groups,” Heather said. “One for each supply grouping.”

“Great idea, Genghis Kheather,” Noah said with dripping sarcasm. “Except we only have _one_ map.”

“We also have limited daylight,” Heather shot back. “If we stick together we won’t have enough time to gather everything and make it to the campsite before the sun goes down.”

“And why should we listen to _you_?” Lashawna’s hands went to her hips. “We let you be in charge of the talent contest and look how _that_ turned out.”

Heather gave an offended scoff. “If you want to point fingers, I’ll remind you who’s responsible for today’s challenge being so difficult.” Her glare shifted to Cody; the boy shrunk out of view. She folded her arms and turned her chin, “I’m just trying to make the best of a bad situation. Do any of you have any _better_ ideas?”

Lashawna was immediately in her face, jabbing her index finger on the asian girl’s pink halter top. “We stick together. I _ain’t_ gettin’ lost in the woods!”

“I think Heather may be right on this one, guys,” Trent said, rubbing the back of his neck as he continued to study the distances on the map. “It’s a long round trip. If we split up, we’ll get to the campsite sooner, get more rest for the return trip in the morning, and be more likely to beat the Killer Bass back.”

“Thank you, Trent,” Heather said curtly.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Gwen’s eyes rolled. “Wow. Just wow, Trent. Agreeing with Heather? I thought better of you.” She folded her arms huffily.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Are we done arguing yet?” Izzy asked, flipping a cartwheel for no reason, “Just twelve hours ’til the bugbears come out and devour us all!” She giggled maniacally.

“I think you’re confused,” Beth said, pushing up her glasses, “Bugbears are fictional creatures, like dragons or unicorns.”

“Oh, I’ve seen one,” Izzy nodded rapidly. “It was big, and blue, and—”

“Ignoring that…” Heather diverted, “we’re going to need three teams of three.”

“Ooh, ooh!” Owen got on his tip-toes to wave his hand above his head. “I volunteer to go get the camp provisions! I don’t need a map; I’ll be able to find them just by sniffing them out!” He took a deep inhalation through his nostrils, then laughed.

“You’re not going without me, Big-O!” Izzy glommed onto his arm.

“Great. I’ll be the third in your group,” Heather decided.

“Now wait a minute!” Lashawna badgered, “First you convince us all to split up and _now_ you volunteer for the shortest trip?!”

“You cannot expect me to walk eighteen kilometers in cork wedges,” Heather put her hand up in ‘talk to the hand’ fashion. “Besides, someone has to make sure Owen doesn’t eat all the provisions before getting back.”

Owen laughed sheepishly. “I am _pretty_ hungry…” His stomach rumbled.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I’ve only skipped breakfast two other times my entire life,” Owen said. “Couldn’t we at least have brunch before we leave?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah’s eyebrow tweaked. “Heather voluntarily going with Owen and Izzy? Unlikely. If you ask me, she’s up to something more than saving her feet and our food.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“If you’re so scared of getting lost, your group can take the map to the caves,” Heather said compromisingly.

“Fine!” Lashawna snapped, snatching said map from her. “But I ain’t goin’ to no spooky-ass caves filled with spooky-ass bats. Nuh-uh,” she shuddered.

“We’ll go with you, Lashawna,” Gwen offered, placing her hand on the black girl’s shoulder. “There’ll be nothing to worry about.” Trent nodded agreeably.

“Well, alright,” Lashawna seemed to relax at the goth’s reassurance. “Thanks, girl. Let’s show those caves who’s boss!” She smacked her fist down into her palm.

“I guess I know where that leaves us,” Noah said on behalf of himself, Cody and Beth; he was clearly none too thrilled by how the events had played out.

“It’s okay,” Cody spoke up. “I did get us into this. I’m sure eighteen kilometers won’t be so bad.” He chuckled.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Have you ever noticed the phrase ‘not so bad’ is practically synonymous with ‘not so good’?” Noah said with a lift of his eyebrow. “So maybe an eighteen kilo hike won’t be ‘so bad’,” he utilized air-quotes, “but it definitely won’t be ‘so good’ either.” His arms folded, “My feet hurt just _thinking_ about it.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Of course I have to take the hardest piece of the challenge,” Cody said to the camera. “This might be my only chance to make it up to my team! I don’t wanna get voted off at the next campfire ceremony for not doing my part.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I say we take a few minutes to prepare before we set out,” Heather said. “I’m going to get some bug spray.”

“Oh! Don’t forget to grab bugbear spray too!” Izzy insisted. Heather just rolled her eyes.

“Make sure to familiarize yourself with the map before you leave,” Gwen said to the other two groups. Noah sat down to do just that, studying their route, taking note of the bearing at which they’d be travelling (while taking into account the magnetic declination of the area) and over what contours they’d be travelling. Izzy meanwhile oggled the map upside-down, which perhaps for someone as mentally… unique as her, might have been more useful than looking at it right-side-up.

The Gophers headed back to their cabins to grab whatever they’d be needing while out. Beth was just about to enter the girls’ cabin when she heard a ‘psst!’. Following it around the cabin, she found Heather. “Oh, hey, Heather,” the braces-wearing teen greeted. “I’m a little worried about getting lost during this challenge,” she revealed, “The longest hike my scout troup ever went on was a ten kilo.”

“You’re not going to get lost,” Heather said, hands on her hips.

“I’m not?” Beth seemed confused by her alliance-member’s certainty.

“Nope. Because you’re going to go directly to the campsite.”

“But what about the supplies…?” Beth began.

“Let Noah and Cody take care of it,” Heather said sweetly, placing her arm around the other girl. “You’re a valuable team member, Beth. I’m taking you to the top three, remember? I don’t want you getting lost or hurt over a few nonessential sleeping bags. Now, here’s what you’re going to do…”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Aww, Heather’s worried about me?” Beth smiled in the stall confessional. “I’m glad such a good friend has my back. I guess Noah and Cody can handle it themselves.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Eighteen kilometers, nine sleeping bags, two campers,” Heather counted off on her fingers smugly. “You do the math. Noah’s good standing with the team is about to be officially sunk.” She flushed the toilet behind her for effect.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Beth and Cody regrouped at the picnic table a little while later. Noah glanced up. “Ready? The sooner we get started, the sooner we can get this over with.”

“I’ve got snacks, water, sunscreen, a first aid kit, and everything else we might need,” Cody nodded, squeezing the straps on his backpack.

“All set!” Beth chimed in next. “I’ve got my compass,” she showed off the device around her neck, “my Wilderness Safety guide,” she held it up, “and…” she placed the vibrant orange safety whistle in her mouth, giving it a loud, shrill blow.

Noah lowered his hands from his ears with annoyance, “Lovely.” He stood from the table. “Know how to use that?” he asked Beth, referring to the compass.

“Of course I do,” she said, adjusting her glasses. “It’s how I earned my Orienteering badge,” she pointed to the patch on her vest.

“Fine. Then take our heading,” he said disinterestedly.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I think Noah might be as bossy as Heather…” Beth wondered aloud.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

The girl put her compass down on the map, aligning it to their target. She stuck out her tongue and furrowed her brow as she turned the dial to match the lines on it with those on the map. “Fifteen degrees, plus another twelve for declination… is twenty-seven,” she determined. She put the compass in her palm, holding it level and turned her body until the red needle pointed into the ‘shed’, and the three of them set out.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I’m sure glad Noah and Beth know what they’re doing,” Cody said to the camera. “The only way I can find my way around is with the radar in the bottom-right hand of the screen, aha.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

—

They travelled single-file with Beth in the lead, Noah in middle and Cody bringing up the rear. They had gone perhaps a kilometer when Beth spoke up. “Hey guys? I gotta go to the bathroom real quick. I’ll be right back.” She hurried off into the thicket.

“Didn’t you think to go _before_ we left?” Noah rolled his eyes. He sighed and found a place to sit while they waited.

Cody folded his legs indian-style and grabbed a stick to doodle in the dirt. He scraped a ‘C’ and a ‘+’ and a ‘G’, then carefully drew a heart around the equation. He considered it a moment, but something didn’t seem right about it like the times when he’d drawn it before. He glanced up at Noah, who was looking elsewhere, his chin propped in a palm. Cody used his heel to rub out the ‘G’ and put an ’N’ in its place, stopping to consider the change thoughtfully.

“What’s taking her so long?” Noah asked. “It’s been almost ten minutes. We have ground to cover.”

Cody hurriedly stamped out his drawing with his feet before the other teen could see. “Maybe we should check on her?” he ventured uncertainly. Neither boy seemed overly eager to do so. Noah gave a sigh of reluctance and stood from his rock, picking his way through the forest growth Beth had disappeared into. Cody followed. They fanned out and searched, even called her name out a couple of times, but Beth was nowhere to be found. And she certainly wasn’t lost, or she would have whistled.

“Ugh, I should have _known_!” Noah groused, throwing his arms up in the air. “Heather has Beth wrapped around her fingers. She told her to ditch us so we’d be at a disadvantage bringing back the supplies.”

Cody blinked. “But why would Heather do that?” he asked. “We’re on the same team.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“It’s a decent play,” Noah regarded the camera humorlessly, speaking as though he were discussing a chess match. “She manipulated the team into splitting up, made sure I got sent furthest afield, even used her ‘pawn’ to play along like she was going to help us out with navigation.” He clicked his tongue. “Now it’s my move. It’s not checkmate just yet.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah pushed aside a tree branch, momentarily more interested in observing the moss growth on it than answering Cody’s question. After a rough determination of their continued heading, he resumed their trek toward the hills. “Because she wants me gone, that’s why,” the dark-haired teen grumbled.

“You?” Cody sounded even more confused. He jogged a bit to catch up, “Why you? I thought she was mad at _me_.”

Noah’s face scrunched. He tested his tongue on the roof of his mouth. “Heather’s talent show flub? That was me.” He stared at the path straight ahead. “I sabotaged her plan to read Gwen’s diary on stage.”

“She was going to _what_?!” Cody gasped.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Okay, that is so not cool!” Cody said with affront. “Girls’ diaries are one of the most secret things in the world. It’s where they write about their favorite music stars and what boys they have a crush on at school and stuff. It’s not something you read aloud at a talent show!” He wriggled on top of the toilet seat a bit. “Although, I would kinda like to know who Gwen has a crush on… eh heh.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I knew Heather was kind of mean, but I didn’t know she was _that_ mean,” Cody said softly, scuffing the soles of his shoes in the dirt as they continued along. But now there was another question in his mind: why Noah hadn’t told him that to begin with. He studied the teen walking ahead of him thoughtfully. “So, why’d you stick up for Gwen?” he asked.

He wanted to be a bit careful with how he answered this question. “It seemed like the smart thing to do,” Noah answered matter-of-factly. “Teammates should stick together, not tear one another down.” Well, at least until the game became an every-man-for-himself scenario, anyway.

“Well, smart or not, it was really nice of you,” Cody established.

Noah’s eyes rolled. “Fantastic. Ever heard the phrase: ‘Nice guys always lose.’?” he said flatly.

Cody shrugged. “You’re a winner to me.”

Noah felt himself smile despite his best attempt to resist it. He rolled his eyes at himself. Slowing down to let Cody catch up, he placed a surprise kiss on the side of his face. Cody’s hand touched the spot shyly. Then, wordlessly, Noah picked up the pace, determined to put several more kilometers behind them.


	9. Chapter 9

Cody huffed out a sigh of relief as the two of them came to a stop at the riverbank. He slipped his backpack off his shoulders and dropped to the ground, rolling onto his back spread-eagle, enjoying the sensation of letting all the muscles in his body relax. “How much further do you think we have to go?” he asked Noah.

The dark-haired teen plopped himself down on a fallen tree, unlacing one of his shoes to rid himself of some of the stickers that had become lodged in his socks. “Well, we’ve gone almost twelve thousand steps. At approximately 1,320 steps to a kilometer, that should put us about halfway there.”

Cody picked his head up disbelievingly. “You’ve been _counting_?”

“I said ‘approximately’,” Noah reiterated, flicking away one of the nastier goatheads. He put his shoe back on and tied it. “From here we just need to follow the river upstream. It will lead us into the hills to the supply cache.”

“Sounds good!” Cody nodded, pushing himself upright. He rummaged through his backpack for their canteen and went to refill it in the stream. He took a nice long drink of the cool water, then offered it out to Noah, who gladly took it. Cody sat down on the log next to him. “Y’know, I’m actually kind of glad Beth ditched us…” Cody led in.

Noah lowered the canteen, taking notice of the other teen’s proximity. “That so?” he feigned obliviousness, curious to see where this was going.

“Uh huh…” Cody waggled his eyebrows, nudging himself closer.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Okay,” Cody wriggled in the bathroom stall, “I’ve been thinking about it, and I really wanna take the next step and make it to first base with Noah. But I sort of don’t know how?” He scratched at the back of his head. “I mean, I know _how_ ,” he clarified, “But _when_ do I do it? It can’t just be some random thing; I have to do it at the right time. But how will I know when’s the right time?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah tried and failed to keep a straight face. “I think you need to cool down,” he delivered smirkingly, turning the canteen upside-down over the other boy’s head. Cody yelped in surprise as the water splashed over his head and ran down his shoulders, drenching him.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Maybe the right time is later…” Cody coughed.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

—

Another hour’s travel took them out of the woods and into the grassland. They were making good time on the easy terrain. Noah had taken the backpack for now, and Cody was happily following him along with his earbuds in, listening to music as they hiked. The sun was warm and the air was cool, almost an ideal day for blazing the trail; he’d long since dried off from being doused earlier.

Without warning, Noah stopped dead in his tracks. Cody nearly slammed right into him. He pulled his earbuds out one by one. “Uh… Noah?” he queried; there was a far-off look in the other teen’s brown eyes and he was frozen in place.

“This isn’t the right way. It _can’t_ be,” Noah murmured, swivelling as he studied the sun approaching the western horizon. “We’re bearing way too far east.”

“How can that be?” Cody scratched his head, befuddled, “We’ve been following the river just like on the map.”

Noah recalled the exact same thing. He racked his brains. “Twenty-seven degrees northeast…” he muttered, mentally retracing their steps, “hit the river, follow it upstream. Upstream, _uphill_. The river is here.” He frowned at it, then it clicked. “The river is here,” he repeated. Cody’s head tilted. “It’s not supposed to be here,” Noah explained, gesturing at it, “this stream was shown on the map as a _dry_ river during the summer months. The winter’s high snowfall must have prolonged its flow this late in the year.” He hit his forehead with his palm three times in apparent irritation.

“Sooo,” Cody ventured slowly, “We’re lost?”

Noah huffed, taking another glance at the sun’s position in the sky. Four, maybe five more hours of daylight. “No,” he reassured impatiently. “We just have to retrace our steps back to where we first encountered the dry river, cross it, find the _right_ river and follow it.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I can’t believe I made such a stupid mistake,” Noah rubbed his temples. “It’s the sort of mistake I’d expect the _rest_ of the morons on our team to make. I can only imagine the evil grin on Heather’s face if she were to see me right now.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I’ve never actually seen Noah so upset before,” Cody said with measured surprise. “I gotta find some way to cheer him up… That’s what any good boyfriend would do,” he decreed. “And I’m definitely a good boyfriend. Noah even said so! So it’s gotta be true, aha.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah was already starting to head back in the direction they’d come. “Maybe we should take a quick breather before we turn around,” Cody suggested. “Y’know, just to recuperate.”

Noah frowned but stopped. “Alright. Five minutes,” he relented, finding a seat on a tree stump. He dug through his pack and took out a granola bar, which he unwrapped and began to munch emotionlessly.

Cody considered the clouds overhead. “I guess there’s the possibility we won’t get to supplies and back to camp in time, huh?”

“I’d say it’s more probable than possible,” Noah corrected the other teen’s adjectives sourly.

“Well, whether we do or don’t, we tried our best,” Cody shrugged and Noah felt his eyebrow lift. “That’s what really matters.”

“I think you’re forgetting the part where the rest of our team votes me off,” Noah pointed out the other boy’s naivity as he wadded up the snack wrapper and shoved it deep in a pocket.

Cody folded his arms challengingly. “For not managing to complete the hardest part of an increased-difficulty challenge with limited time and without a map? You’re smart, no doubt, but c’mon.”

Noah didn’t have an immediate response for that. He cleared his throat and glanced away.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Okay, when he puts it that way… maybe I’m being a little rough on myself,” Noah said, seeming almost annoyed to admit it. He put folded an ankle over a knee and gave a soft chuckle, “Cody’s transparent attempt to get me to feel better is sweet. But the most surprising part is that it’s actually working…” he shrugged, wide-eyed.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody found himself grinning. He gestured, “I mean, if anything, it’s Heather who’s going to get voted off, because _she_ suggested splitting up.” He got up and walked around the tree stump where the dark-haired teen was sitting. “I think you need to stop worrying and just relax,” Cody suggested, placing his hands on Noah’s shoulders. He gave them a squeeze, beginning to massage gently.

Noah hummed and shut his eyes. “You’re making _that_ easier,” he commented lowly. Cody felt his heart leap up into his throat; he continued, making small circles with his thumbs, eager to draw more noises of enjoyment out of the other boy. “A little harder,” Noah requested. Cody complied. “Higher,” the dark-haired boy added, and the other adjusted. “Mmm…” Noah let his head tip back. Cody leaned in, eyes on his boyfriend’s lips.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Now’s gotta be the right time, right?” Cody asked the camera in the bathroom confessional. “We’re all alone, I set the mood,” he listed off the conditions, “Now I just gotta move in.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

He hesitated a bit too long. Noah’s eyes opened, regarding him with slight amusement. “I think we’ve ‘recuperated’ long enough, don’t you?” he asked teasingly. They locked gazes a moment.

Cody felt his cheeks heat and he pulled his hands off Noah’s shoulders, forcing a little laugh. “Right. Aha. We better get going.” He grabbed the backpack to take his turn with it.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Is it just my imagination, or is Cody being a bit more forward than usual today?” Noah noticed. “Not that I mind, but we do have a challenge to focus on at the moment.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Ugh, I was so close!” Cody tugged his hair. “Next time I’ll get it for sure,” he resolved.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

—

Trent’s brow furrowed as he brought the map closer to his face. “According to this, we should just need to go a little further and…” He, Gwen and Lashawna stepped into the clearing. “Oh,” he lowered the map, realizing they were at the campsite.

Heather was the first camper they had the pleasure of encountering. “About time you got here,” she complained. “What took you so long?”

“We _took_ our time so we wouldn’t get lost. There’s a difference,” Lashawna said, dropping the 10-person tent in front of where the girl was seated. It billowed a big cloud of dust, sending Heather into a coughing fit. “Now, where are those camp provisions? I am _starving_!” Lashawna brushed off her hands and walked off with a smile.

“Slow and steady wins the race,” Trent agreed, folding up the map. “Right, Gwen?” he said, looking for her approval.

“Yeah,” the goth agreed absently, taking note of those at the campground with a lift of her eyebrow. Owen and Izzy were playing a game of Go Fish and Beth was off by the bushes. 

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I’d expected Heather, Owen and Izzy to get back before us,” Gwen told the camera. “But what’s Beth doing here? They couldn’t have gone the whole eighteen kilometers already.” Her brow drew down, “I smell a rat.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Just where is _she_ going?” Heather gestured at Lashawna as the black girl took her leave. “Someone needs to put this tent up!”

“I’ve got a better question,” Gwen said, breaking away.

Heather’s eyes rounded on the remaining team member. “Well, Trent, I guess that leaves you to put up the tent,” she established, standing up to leave as well. “Let me know when it’s finished, all this sun is ruining my complexion.” Trent just shrugged and got started.

Beth was kneeled down by the bushes, studying some insect life with a magnifying glass, a book on entomology propped on her knee. Gwen approached the girl. “You’re back early. Where are Noah and Cody?” she asked.

Beth jumped a little, almost dropping her magnifying glass. She collected herself, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “They’re still out finding the sleeping bags,” she answered anxiously.

“Why aren’t you with them?” Gwen folded her arms.

“They… they left me,” Beth made up. “I… I couldn’t keep up, so they went on without me.” She went back to studying the line of army ants on a tree trunk.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Okay,” Gwen began, “Noah leaving Beth behind I might _almost_ believe. But Cody? As much as he annoys me, I don’t think there’s a single mean bone in his body. No way he left Beth behind.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I feel really bad about having to lie to Gwen…” Beth said softly, squeezing her knees together. “And leaving Noah and Cody. One of the things every scout is supposed to be is honest and fair.” She looked down at the bathroom tiles. “Earlier I thought it was important to keep my alliance with Heather strong, but now I’m not so sure I did the right thing…”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I can’t believe they did that to you, Beth,” Heather arrived to the conversation as if on cue. “I guess they’re not the team players they made themselves out to be after all.” Beth looked away silently.

“You’re not fooling anyone,” Gwen’s eyes narrowed on the asian girl. “Which is it? Are you getting back at Cody for making today’s challenge harder, or Noah for ruining your talent show performance?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Heather denied.

“Of course you don’t,” Gwen said with contempt. “You _won’t_ get away with this.” She left to help Trent with the tent, making certain to give Heather a hard shove on the way past.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“This is turning out even more perfectly than I’d imagined,” Heather said to the camera. “Noah and Cody are as good as lost, and Gwen just confirmed what I suspected: That she and Noah are in league with each other. Which means once I succeed in having him eliminated, that’s one less leg for her to stand on.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Are you okay, Gwen?” Trent asked, watching the girl pound the tent stakes into the ground with a vengence, “You seem kind of agitated.”

The goth paused to swipe a hand across her perspiring forehead. “Maybe I just don’t see a lot of point in having a tent with no sleeping bags,” she said with a nearly Noah-level of sarcasm.

“Don’t worry,” Trent flashed her one of his chill smiles as he slid the last tent rod into place, “I’m sure they’ll get here before sun down.”

“I hope you’re right…” Gwen said uncertainly, looking out to the northeast as if doing so would enable her to see them. She stood, dusting off her knees. “I’m going to build a fire just in case. Even if they’re lost, the rising smoke will show them the way to the campsite.”

“That’s a great idea,” Trent said, jumping up. “I’ll find some wood.” She brightened.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Gwen sat in the bathroom stall, propping her journal on her knee as she wrote in it. She looked up as if in realization the camera was on. “I was a little annoyed at Trent earlier for supporting Heather’s plan, but he’s redeemed himself.” The goth gestured her pencil, “I should not be this head-over-heels for a guy.” She blushed.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I wonder why Gwen is so concerned about Noah and Cody…” Trent rubbed the back of his neck uncertainly. “Come to think of it… I did see her hanging out with Noah before the talent show…” His uncertainty shifted to concern. “You don’t think…? No way, it can’t be.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

—

Traversing the wrong river and finding the right one turned out to be more difficult than it had any right to be. As evening approached, they were faced with a decision. Turn back and get to camp before dark but empty-handed, or continue on, find the sleeping bags and camp out so they could get up extra early and try to regroup in the morning. Both boys decided to press on, and, at long last, Noah and Cody arrived at their destination. It wasn’t too long after that that they found a large crate labelled ‘Property of Total Drama Island Productions’ that contained the nine sleeping bags meant for the Gophers.

Noah removed one, examining the tag. “Made from all natural goose down.” His eyebrow lifted in genuine surprise. “Well, at least we’ll be sleeping in comfort. Though I’m surprised this episode’s budget could actually cover this kind of expense,” he added wryly.

“Actually, they’re not all the same,” Cody realized as he removed two more from the crate. They were made of polyester, not quite as nice as the one Noah had grabbed. He dug deeper into the crate, discovering the next two were slightly ratty and contained holes, and the two after that were stained and smelled like rotting cheese. “Gross…” Cody pinched his nose and fished around the bottom of the crate for the last two; he gave a yelp of disgust, dropping the sleeping bags back into the box as a swarm of cockroaches skittered out of the seams. “Ugh, _double_ gross!!” he exclaimed. On instinct he kicked the crate away and it fell over onto its side; the roaches scattered in all directions.

Noah lifted his foot up as one of the insects went running under it. “Figures. Chris planned for us to take these back to the team so we’d all fight over who got which sleeping bag to add to the drama.” He rolled his eyes. Like the host’s underhanded attempts to pit them against one another weren’t growing predictable.

Cody was still trying to fight off the sensation of formication, rubbing down his arms and legs. “Guess so.” He grabbed one of the polyester ones for himself so Noah could keep the nicest one.

“This one’s pretty big,” Noah began, unzipping the down bag as he rolled it out on the ground. “We could probably share it if you wanted.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Noah’s inviting me to sleep with him?” Cody exclaimed, only to realize how what he had just said sounded. “N— n-not like _that_! Sleep _next_ to him,” he corrected. He slapped his forehead before going on. “But of course I _want_ to. Who wouldn’t wanna cuddle up in a sleeping bag with their boyfriend? Heh. Now if I could just find the right time to kiss him…!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Oh, uh, sure,” Cody chuckled between words, trying to keep his over-exuberance from showing as he tossed the other sleeping bag away. His eyes searched for a place to look, finally settling on the sky, which was clouding over. “Hey, what’s that?” he noticed a thin plume of smoke rising from the forest to the southwest. He pointed at it.

Noah turned to look. “The others must have made camp and set up a fire,” he determined. If it weren’t so late, it could’ve helped them find their way back. As it was there was only perhaps half an hour of daylight left, the sun sitting low enough in the sky to be partially obscured by the tops of the evergreens, casting long shadows out across the ground.

“Think we should make a shelter in case it rains?” Cody asked.

“Judging from our earlier luck, we’d better,” Noah said with light sarcasm. He grabbed a decently sturdy stick and pulled out his pocketknife to begin wittling the tip into a sharp enough spike to drive into the ground. Cody found him a second one of similar length and straightness. After they’d placed them solidly in the ground, Cody removed the shoelaces from his sneakers, tying them each together to be long enough to string between the poles Noah had fashioned. They unzipped and tossed the polyester sleeping bags over the makeshift line and used four heavy rocks to anchor the corners to the ground and create a triangular sleeping space. They used the worn-out old sleeping bags for ground cover and padding on the inside.

Cody dusted off his hands and placed them on his hips, admiring their work. “Not bad! Guess we didn’t need those tent supplies after all, haha.”

“Would be nice to have some of the provisions though,” Noah said, aware of the light gnawing in his stomach. A single granola bar and a few handfuls of trail mix (sans the M&Ms— Cody had picked all of them out) weren’t exactly a meal. It was mildly revolting to admit, but he might just be _looking forward_ to the Chef’s cooking when they got back. He pulled his book out of his pocket, planning to utilize what little was left of their daylight to indulge himself.

“We’ve still got some jerky…” Cody double-checked in his backpack. “But we should probably save it for breakfast.”

“Agreed,” Noah submitted absently, already emersed in reading.

Cody came over to sit down next to him. After a moment he nudged the other teen’s shoulder. “Wanna watch the sun set together?” he asked.

Noah looked up at Cody. A half-smile overtook his features as he rolled his eyes. “As if I could ever say ‘no’ to that face.” He closed his book. “Sure.” The two intertwined fingers and set their sights on the horizon. Cody leaned his chin down on Noah’s shoulder.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“If watching a sunset isn’t the perfect backdrop for a make-out session, I don’t know what is,” Cody gestured. He paused thoughtfully. “It’s funny… You’d think getting separated and all I’d miss the rest of the team, but I don’t really. I don’t even really miss Gwen?” his confusion over the emotions he was feeling was plainly obvious.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Thanks to the clouds that had formed overhead, the sunset turned out to be a rather brilliant one, full of reds, oranges, and pinks splashing across the fluffy white ‘canvases’. As the last sliver of the sun dipped beneath the horizon and the blue hue of twilight engulfed the sky, Noah pecked Cody on the temple and stood. The blue-eyed boy shook his head; he’d been so deep in thought that he’d missed his window of opportunity.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“So much for ‘the third time’s the charm’,” Cody said with mild exasperation. “I don’t get it. The movies make it look so easy!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah yawned, stretching his arms above his head. Dark circles had begun to form under his eyes. “I think all that leaves is turning in for the night.”

Cody nodded in agreement. Each boy made sure to empty his bladder and remove his shoes before carefully crawling under their improvised tent. Cody wormed his way into the down sleeping bag, getting comfy, and Noah slid in behind him. The nearness made Cody’s stomach flutter momentarily, but it wasn’t until Noah draped his arm over him that it felt like an entire colony of butterflies had erupted in his tummy. He shut his eyes to savor the tactile sensations: the weight of the other teen’s arm, the way Noah’s front was pressed flush against his back, the growing warmth between their bodies. He let out a happy sigh.

This was his last chance to make out with Noah tonight, he realized, and possibly his best one. Carefully, Cody turned underneath the other boy’s arm so he could face him, but when he got there, he discovered Noah was snoring softly.

“Noah?” he asked, giving him a gentle nudge. The other didn’t respond; he was fast asleep!

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Talk about falling asleep the moment your head hits the pillow…” Cody gave a chagrinned chuckle. “But I guess Noah isn’t used to a lot of physical activity, and we _did_ walk over twenty kilometers.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody settled for nuzzling his forehead into Noah’s neck and he shut his eyes, finding his own unconsciousness more quickly than he’d thought he would.


	10. Chapter 10

The glow of approaching dawn roused Noah somewhat groggily from slumber. He took a moment to get his bearings, lifting his head up from Cody’s chest where it had been resting. The other teen’s arms were wrapped snugly around his middle. He chucked internally; he didn’t even recall getting into the configuration, but it wasn’t exactly the first time he didn’t remember falling asleep and ending up closer to Cody by the time he woke. Noah admired his still snoozing boyfriend a long moment— after all, who knew when was the next time they’d get another opportunity like this one. Smirking, he dipped down and placed his lips gently on Cody’s forehead to wake him.

The boy’s eyes fluttered open and a large yawn escaped his mouth. “Morning, cuddlebunch,” Noah smirked at him.

Cody’s cheeks flushed ever so slightly at the pet name. “Good morning,” he returned sleepily. “Is it really morning already?” he asked with disbelief.

“It will be soon,” Noah said, happy to linger in his boyfriend’s embrace. “Dawn is in a few minutes.”

“Mm…” Cody mumbled, closing his eyes again.

“Are you falling back asleep?” Noah asked with sarcastic amusement.

“Maybe…” Cody said, hugging Noah a little tighter and burying his face in the other teen’s neck to block out the increasing sunlight. “Do we have to get up? I wanna just stay here with you…”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Cuddle with my unbelievably cute boyfriend, or hike back to Loser-ville for an elimination ceremony,” Noah pondered each of his open hands. “Now _there’s_ a difficult decision.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I don’t want to leave as much as you do,” Noah urged gently, “but if we’re going to have any hope of catching up with the rest of the group, we have to.”

“Yeah, I know…” Cody let go of Noah and rubbed at his eyes as he sat up. The dark-haired teen got up and exited the tent. Cody followed. “Brr…” he immediately noticed the temperature difference, “It’s f-f-freezing out here.” He rubbed at his arms.

Noah wasn’t about to disagree. Already he could feel goosebumps rising up on his skin. “We’ll warm up once we get moving,” he said, beginning to break down their tent. He tossed one of the sleeping bags off the top; its surface was wet with dew. Cody retrieved his shoelaces. They gathered the rest of their belongings and started down the hill.

—

Noah contemplated the still smouldering pile of logs at his feet. They’d followed the smoke plume all the way here, but none of their team remained. “Guess they headed out without us,” Cody determined, glancing around the empty campsite.

“Can’t say I blame them,” the brown-eyed teen mumbled. He nudged the wood with his foot, only to lift an eyebrow when he noticed the corner of a piece of paper tucked underneath. He bent down to pick it up, unfolding it. The one edge was ragged, obviously torn out of a book— specifically, he realized, Gwen’s diary. On it was a note from the girl.

“What’s that?” Cody asked, peering over his shoulder.

“Gwen left it,” Noah answered. “‘Noah and Cody,’” he started to read aloud, “’I hope the fire lasts long enough for the two of you to find this. The rest of the team wanted to head back to Camp Wawanakwa. Noah, I’m sure you can guess but Heather’s been trying to convince the team you abandoned Beth. Hurry back; I don’t want you to be the one who walks the Dock of Shame tonight.’” Beneath her signature was a miniature drawing of the map.

“Wow. Thoughtful _and_ artistic,” Cody chuckled. “Gwen sure is a hell of a girl, huh?” Noah looked at him with one raised eyebrow. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “Uhh… guess we ought to head out then.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody hummed to himself thoughtfully in the bathroom stall. “So Noah sabotaged Heather’s plan to embarrass Gwen, and Gwen sabotaged Heather’s plan to get Noah lost. Nice. Guess they’re even-Steven now.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

They’d only gone a couple of steps when frightened screeching rang off the trees around them. Cody halted. “Did you hear that?” he asked his travelling companion. “It sounded like one of the girls.”

They looked between one another, silently communicating an agreement to investigate. They followed the sound as it continued, hurriedly, but cautiously. As they approached the cliffside, they found the source of the screaming. Cowering in terror were Katie and Sadie, a big black bear only a few meters from them. It hadn’t turned aggressive yet, but shifted on its paws, its snout sniffing at their pink sandals. The two girls clung to one another for dear life.

“Noah, we’ve gotta do something!” Cody gripped his arm tightly.

“We’re helping the other team win challenges now?” Noah’s eyebrow tweaked.

“This is different,” the blue-eyed boy said with concern. “They’re in real trouble.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“There’s a thin line between ‘heroism’ and ‘stupidity’,” Noah said flatly. He swiped his open hand through the air dismissively, “ _Common sense_ says turn around and walk the other way.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“You always have to play the knight in shining armor, don’t you?” The dark-haired teen huffed a light sigh. “Alright, we’ll help.” He eyed the situation. “It’s a black bear, so all we should need to do is to look tall and intimidating, and it should scare off.” At least, that’s what he’d read— he’d never had to test it in a practical application.

“Okay,” Cody agreed to the plan, waiting for more that never came, “…How are we going to do that?” Neither of them was exactly big. Wordlessly, Noah walked to his rear and crawled up onto his shoulders. “Whoa!” Cody wobbled unsteadily a moment, surprised. He gripped Noah’s knees. “Oh, well, that takes care of taller,” he chuckled.

“Sleeping bag,” Noah instructed. Cody carefully handed it up to him. The brown-eyed teen unzipped it, holding it by the corners to drape behind them so they’d look much bigger than they really were. “Ready?” he asked the boy beneath him, “Once we go out, we can’t turn back. We have to hold our ground.”

Cody pinched his lip between his teeth, but he nodded firmly. “Got it.”

“Whenever you’re ready,” Noah said. He balanced on top of Cody’s shoulders with his arms outspread as the teen on bottom walked them out of the trees. The black bear, as well as Katie and Sadie, noticed their approach, staring in mixed surprise and stupefaction. “Fee-fi-fo-fum!” Noah vocalized while Cody stomped his feet. “I smell the blood of a pair of dumb-dumbs!”

“Hey…” Katie said with slight offense.

The black bear’s ears twitched, taking an uncertain step back from the approaching twosome. It snarled, exposing its teeth. Noah waved his arms in response, “Just try it, Baloo. We’ve met way scarier than you and her name is Heather.” Cody gave a small snicker.

The bear pushed itself up onto its back legs menacingly. Katie and Sadie both gasped. “N-Noah…” Cody whispered upward worriedly, starting to tremble.

Noah felt his own conviction waver. “Keep it steady,” he delivered downward. “We’re not going anywhere,” he said to the bear, careful not to make eye contact, “Now back off.”

The bear gave an anxious huff through its nostrils, clearly wanting to stay but unsure. Finally it lowered back onto all fours, turning tail and retreating into the forest. Noah wiped the back of his hand across his brow.

“Oh yeah, right on!” Cody celebrated. He put up his hand Noah’s way; the other teen fived it with a smirk. Cody’s eyes lidded halfway, “I wasn’t worried for one second.” Noah felt his eyes roll with amusement.

The two Killer Bass girls leapt to their feet. “You guys saved our lives!” Sadie squealed gleefully. “That was so amazing!”

“ _Totally_ amazing!” Katie agreed. They bounded forward, throwing their arms around the lower of the two boys, causing Cody to lose his grip on Noah’s legs; the brown-eyed boy went toppling backward onto the ground with a yelp.

“You’re welcome,” he grated out, rubbing his head sorely.

“How can we ever repay you?” the two asked in unison.

“You could start by letting go of me…” Cody wheezed out, as the two girls were squeezing him so hard he could scarcely breathe. They both let go simultaneously. He exhaled woozily and slumped to the ground.

Noah dusted off his shorts as he stood. “Now that you’re done being bear bait, you should probably get back to the rest of your team,” he said, eager to get both girls off their hands.

“We’d like to…” Sadie began.

“But we actually have no idea where they are,” Katie admitted, rubbing the side of her arm embarrassedly.

Sadie nodded in vigorous agreement. “Or which way camp is.”

Noah and Cody exchanged glances once again. The brown-haired boy shrugged. Noah didn’t even try to disguise the volume of the sigh that escaped his mouth. “Fine. You can travel with us.” He began walking.

“Yay!!” Sadie lifted her heel off the ground. Katie clapped and bounced.

“We’re also _reaaally_ hungry,” Katie added.

“Really, _really_ hungry,” Sadie emphasized. “Do you have any food?”

Noah simmered, a groove wearing deep into his forehead. Cody pulled the beef jerky from his backpack and handed it to the two girls, which they began to gobble appreciatively. “Next time we let the bear eat them,” Noah muttered to his boyfriend. Cody just chuckled.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Noah doesn’t mean it,” Cody gave a dismissive flip of his wrist. His eyebrows lifted a couple of seconds later, second-guessing himself, “At least, I don’t think he does.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

—

The Gophers raced through the foliage. From the way the trees were beginning to thin out, they could tell they were almost back to Camp Wawanakwa. Beth was the first to pop into the clearing. “Oh no!” she lamented, slapping her cheeks at the sight before her.

Lashawna, Izzy and and Heather emerged next, followed shortly by Trent, Gwen and a gasping-for-breath Owen. “Can we stop running yet?” the large camper wheezed. He collapsed front-first into the dirt.

The Bass were seated at the firepit where the elimination ceremonies typically took place. “Ugh, seriously?” Heather gesticulated at the other team irritably, “We _lost_??”

Chris shook a finger. “Now now, let’s not be too hasty,” he said, hands falling to his hips as a grin overtook his face. “Technically, neither team has won yet.” A momentary shocked hush fell over all the contestants. “By my count we have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven Bass and…” his finger pointed briefly at each of them, “one, two, three, four, five, six, seven Gophers. You’re each missing two from your group.”

Courtney scoffed, folding her arms and turning her head. “It’s not _our_ fault. Katie and Sadie ran off.”

“And you call yourself a Counselor in Training?” the showhost pointed out with a smirk. “Leaving behind team members? Not very cool.” Beth cringed at Chris’ words, looking away.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“How dare Chris imply I’m a bad C.I.T.!” the brunette stomped her foot.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Hold on,” Gwen cocked an eyebrow, “Your team stayed together the entire time? How did you get to all the supply groupings before sun down?”

“We didn’t,” Duncan shrugged his shoulders. “We kept travelling in the dark.”

“But Chris specifically told us not to do that,” she remarked in surprise.

“Yeahhh, that’s what we in the biz call a _ploy_ ,” the host chuckled.

“You’re tellin’ me we never even had to split up in the first place?” Lashawna shot a glare Heather’s way.

“It’s not like it matters,” Heather defended herself cooly. “Both teams are missing players. Which I guess means we have a stalemate on our hands.” She shrugged. “Oh well!”

“Oh no-no-no,” Chris stopped her before she could go. “We’re all going to wait right here until your fellow teammates arrive to determine the winning team.” Chef Hatchet appeared holding a serving tray. “Oh, thank you, Chef,” the host said, grabbing the iced tea and taking a sip. Hatchet smiled and nodded.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Is Chris _serious_?” Heather fumed. “That could take hours! …Or days!” she threw up her arms, then folded them across her chest. “That was the whole point of getting them lost!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Gwen’s brow drew down with irritation. “I _told_ them we should wait for Noah and Cody.” Her arms crossed as her eyes rolled, “But it seems like no one around here ever bothers to listen to me.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Man, Gwen was right…” Trent said, rubbing his neck. “We really should have listened to her.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Beth hid her face in her hands. “Ohhh, I never should’ve left Noah and Cody. They’re lost somewhere on the island and it’s my fault…” She stared down at her compass sadly. “I don’t deserve to wear my ‘Teamwork in Action’ merit badge…” she picked at the threads of said patch.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

The Gophers found seats among the Bass, everyone looking less than enthused— well, besides Chris, who looked to be enjoying every moment. Beth looked the most miserable by far, however. Several minutes elapsed, each of the campers engaging in some idle gesture. Lashawna was filing her nails, Heather was tapping her foot, Trent was air-guitaring some riffs, Tyler was systematically cracking each bone in his body, Duncan was carving something into his tree stump, DJ was catching butterflies. “So hungry… growing weak…” Owen moaned from the ground, “Must eat…”

Izzy grabbed Owen’s wrist, checking his pulse. “He’s fading fast! Find him sustenance— stat!” She snatched a clutch of fungus growing on one of the logs and jammed it into the large camper’s mouth.

He chewed deleriously. “Mm… cream of mushroom-y… ahahaha…!”

Gwen had just begun to settle into a state of full mind-numbing boredom when she heard a twig snap. She perked up instantly, pointing at the arriving campers, “Guys, look!” Noah and Cody, along with Katie and Sadie, stepped out of the trees.

Bridgette, DJ and Geoff all jumped up to greet the two girls. “Katie, Sadie! You’re alright!” the vegetarian exclaimed, giving each of them a quick hug of relief.

“We were all so worried about you!” DJ said.

“Yeah, worried _sick_ ,” Duncan said as he passed a smirking glance at Courtney, who hmph’d and pointed her nose away from him.

“What happened to you guys?” Bridgette asked.

“Well, we were following you guys when we found this blueberry bush,” Sadie began to recount their tale of peril.

“And they looked really delicious, so we stopped to eat some,” Katie continued almost instantaneously.

“When we looked up, you guys were gone!” Sadie said.

“We tried to find you, but we kept walking in circles!” Katie bemoaned.

“Then it got dark and we had to sleep in this terrible cave!” Sadie whimpered.

“And it turned out to be a _bear_ cave!” Katie gasped.

“It chased us out of the cave; we thought we were dead for sure!” Sadie’s eyes watered.

“But Cody and Noah saved our lives by scaring the bear away!” Katie squealed with glee.

“Eeenough already!” Chris complained, holding his ears, unable to take any more of the two girls’ high-pitched storytelling. “The touching reunion can wait, there’s a show to—”

“Wait, did you just say Noah and Cody _saved your lives_??” Lashawna blurted incredulously, her brown eyes wide. Both girls nodded vigorously in answer. Every camper’s attention had been drawn to the two boys— neither of which had expected to be getting this much attention upon arriving back.

“That might be an over-statement—” Noah began, only to be abruptly cut off.

“Wow!” Owen marvelled, “You guys stood up to a real, live bear? That is so awesome, ahaha!”

“Saving someone even though they aren’t on our team? That is so rad of you guys,” Gwen said.

“Oh, it was nothing,” Cody chuckled, his attempt to seem ‘humble’ coming off as more ‘pompous’ in the presence of the goth chick. Noah folded his arms and cocked an eyebrow.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Golly, it seems like getting lost actually turned out _better_ for us than getting back in time,” Cody realized. He gave a little chuckle. “Who would’ve guessed?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“This is one-hundred percent, grade-A horsesh**!” the show bleeped out Heather’s speech. “The team was supposed to be furious with them, not freaking _idolizing_ them!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Aren’t we forgetting the more important detail here?” Heather stepped in with a glare. She jabbed her finger at the boys. “The two of them left us all sleeping on the cold, hard ground all night!”

Trent rubbed at the back of his neck, “While that did kind of suck, I think they deserve some praise for saving Katie and Sadie.”

“Pfft,” Izzy didn’t seem impressed by their feat, “It’s not like it was a bugbear.”

“What _did_ happen to you two last night?” Lashawna interrogated, voicing her curiosity for the rest of the team. “We stayed up two hours past dark waiting for your scrawny butts to make it to camp with our supplies. And I heard you ditched Beth.” Her hands settled on her hips.

“Oh ho, I like where this is going,” Chris said to himself, taking a long slurp of his beverage as he gestured at the cameras to ‘keep rolling’.

There was a pregnant pause as Cody and Noah exchanged antsy glances. “That can be explained…” Noah began, ready to take the fall.

Her guilt had been building and Beth couldn’t hold it in any longer. “They didn’t ditch me, okay?!” the braces-wearing teen revealed. “ _I_ ditched _them_ …” her shoulders slumped. All eyes fell on her, appalled. She addressed Noah and Cody, “I’m sorry, you guys.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“ _What_ does she _think_ she’s _doing_??” Heather gaped. “You don’t just reveal your underhanded schemes to everyone!”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah’s eyebrow twitched upward. “Beth coming clean about her actions? That I didn’t see coming,” he commented aloofly. “And judging from Heather’s reaction, I’m guessing neither did she.” He smirked. “I guess this puts Cody and I in the clear for tonight’s campfire ceremony.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I know I’m probably going to be the one to be voted off tonight,” Beth spoke, dry-washed her hands, “but I’m okay with that. I actually feel a lot better now having told my team the truth.” She managed a smile. “I know I could’ve exposed Heather, but ultimately _I’m_ the one who chose to leave Noah and Cody. I should’ve stood up to Heather’s bullying in the first place.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Wow,” McLean laughed. “Danger, deceit, and all the finger-pointing drama you could ask for. I _love_ this show! Have to say, this was all pretty unexpected. Unexpectedly good for our reviews, that is,” he flashed a smile. “Since both teams arrived back at camp at the same time, I’m forced to declare a tie,” he announced. “Which means neither of you win invincibility. You’ll each be sending someone home tonight.” He winked, “And you’ve got the rest of the day to decide just who that will be. Though I personally have a couple of guesses, ha ha.” Katie and Sadie shrunk from the ire-filled gazes of Duncan and Courtney. “See all of you back here in six hours!” the host declared, walking off set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all. Apologies for the extreeeeeemely long-awaited update. To be honest, this chapter was sitting on my hard drive waiting to be posted. I have a little more, but I need to work on it before posting. Since I've recently been watching Season 6 and 7 on Netflix, I'm sort of back into the show again, but will probably need to re-watch Season 1 before I can (hopefully) continue this. Rambling aside, I wanted to thank each and every one of you who's taken the time to read my work, especially those who left such thoughtful comments encouraging me to continue. <3 Y'all make writing satisfying. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 10!


	11. Chapter 11

The contestants peeled off from one another to find things to do until the ceremony; most of the Bass headed off to their cabins to catch up on sleep, while most of the Gophers headed off to the mess hall to get some grub. Noah took a seat beside Gwen with his tray of extra-hard biscuits and super-runny gravy. “Thanks for the bit of tactical guidance you supplied this morning,” he mentioned casually, jamming his fork into one of the unyielding lumps of starch on his plate.

“It was the _least_ I could do,” Gwen replied, glad to hear it had helped the two of them get back. “As soon as I saw Beth I knew what Heather had done.” She sipped her drink.

Noah hummed. “I should’ve known what Heather had planned before we ever left Wawanakwa,” he muttered, taking a big bite.

“If you say so, Sherlock,” Gwen teased. Noah gave her a look. “What? You think you have an exclusive copyright on snarky nicknames for other campers?” her lips twisted with a smile.

“Well, not anymore _apparently_ ,” Noah played along. “Might as well ship me off the island now; my niche of providing witty repartee has been filled.”

Gwen just smirked. “I don’t think you’re going anywhere anytime soon. The whole team seemed pretty impressed by the ‘rescuing Katie and Sadie’ thing. Well, except Heather. Did you see her? It looked like she was about to go nuclear.”

Noah swallowed his mouthful and went for another. “Yeah. I’m sure it won’t come without some fallout though,” he punned, though he was quite serious about the sentiment; even if he’d managed to best the girl at her own game again, she didn’t seem the type to give up until the bitter end.

“So how was getting to spend the night alone with Cody?” Gwen inquired then, not done teasing her shrewd ally.

That question Noah hadn’t been anticipating. “It… He… We…” he started his sentence three separate times, before deciding exactly how to answer, “It went well.” His lips pursed momentarily, “Why?”

“Just curious,” the goth shrugged. “I know you like him. I bet it was nice getting to spend some time with him away from everyone else.” She’d _kill_ for some alone-time like that with Trent; almost a shame Heather hadn’t targetted her instead by pairing Beth with them. She spooned some gravy onto her biscuit and took a bite.

He’d actually been so wrapped up in trying to complete the challenge that Noah had neglected to really appreciate the fact that it had been just the two of them for the majority of it. Thinking about it now, the number of times Cody had tried to get his attention stood out in sharp relief, and he had to wonder what Cody’s motivations had been, and if those motivations would persist now that they were back at camp among the others. The dark-haired teen drew himself out of his contemplation, clearing his throat, “Yeah, it was.”

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to tell me about it,” Gwen reassured. “I’m not into all that ‘girl talk’ crap.”

“Good, because one ’Truth or Dare’ question and this alliance was officially over,” Noah deadpanned. Gwen tried not to laugh but just couldn’t manage to hold back and a smile cracked over Noah’s face as well.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I am so relieved Noah’s not going to be sent home tonight,” Gwen said to the camera. “People on this island that I can stand are in short supply.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Sorry,” Gwen returned mockingly, “The only alliance being broken tonight is Heather and Beth’s.” She paused a moment, “Too bad it’s Beth who’s liable to take the fall for Heather,” she commented. “It’s like we can’t get rid of her. I swear, she’s like a cockroach.”

“Apropos choice of words,” Noah commented, setting down his utensil momentarily to withdraw a plastic baggie from his cargo pocket. He handed it over to the goth.

Gwen held up the bag to examine the contents. “Are… are these cockroach eggs??” Her disgust was evident.

“A little souvenir from our excursion for the Roach Queen herself,” Noah said with laced mischievousness.

“I think I love you,” Gwen’s smile turned wicked. “In a strictly platonic sense, of course,” she added. “I know _just_ where to put them.”

A couple tables back, Cody and Trent were eating together. The guitar-enthusiast watched Noah and Gwen nervously from across the meal hall, worrying at every chuckle and laugh he heard being shared between the two. “Gwen and Noah seem pretty tight, huh?” he asked.

Cody blinked. “Gee, I guess so,” he shrugged. “I was kinda surprised when I found out too,” he went on, “Noah doesn’t get along too well with most of the other campers.”

Trent fixated on those two words: ‘found out’. “When did you find out they were together?” he asked.

The brown-haired teen scratched his head thoughtfully. “I think it was sometime yesterday afternoon. Not too long after we split up to go find the supplies.”

Trent’s stomach sank.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I didn’t want to admit it to myself last night, but I have to now,” Trent said to the camera. “Gwen’s into Noah.” He sighed heavily. He grabbed his guitar from off-screen and strummed a few chords, before beginning to sing. _“I should’ve told you sooner how I felt about you…”_

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Trent’s not wrong about Noah and Gwen,” Cody assessed thoughtfully. “They’ve obviously formed an alliance.” He chuckled, “We might still be wandering the woods if it hadn’t been for Gwen’s smoke signal and note.” The blue-eyed boy stroked his chin, “I wonder if they’ll help each other on the next challenge too…”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Heather, who had been silently listening from the doorway, stepped up to their table. “Hey guys, what are you talking about?”

Trent heaved a large sigh, placing his chin in his palm. “Oh… nothing…”

Cody squirmed, feeling a little uncomfortable at the presence of the girl now at their table. Fully aware now of just how devious and underhanded she could truly be to the others on their team, he only felt the urge to get away from her as soon as possible. He grabbed up his meal tray and stood, “Well, uh… I couldn’t eat another bite.” He pat his stomach unconvincingly. “I’m just gonna, uh… well, I gotta get going. Later, Trent!” The brown-haired boy hurried away.

“Later…” Trent mumbled dejectedly.

Heather’s eyes followed the trajectory of Trent’s green-eyed gaze to the table on the other side of the room.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Heather folded her arms. “Okay. So I’ve known Gwen is crushing big-time on Trent ever since I got ahold of that diary of hers, but if Trent kept a diary, you wouldn’t have to read it to be able to see he feels the same way about her. Since _Beth_ —" she spoke the girl’s name with disdain, “decided to go all ‘Scout’s Honor’—“ she held up a fake scout sign mockingly and made a face to go with it before continuing, “I’m forced to employ a little harsher strategy earlier than I initially planned.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“It’s really a shame Gwen is into Noah,” the asian girl spoke off-handedly, as if she were making a casual observation. “Personally, I think you two would’ve made a super cute couple.”

“You… you really think so?” Trent asked.

“Oh totally,” Heather agreed readily. “The broody Goth. The sensual Hipster. It’s a love-story just waiting to be written. Kind of like a new-age Romeo and Juliet.” She waited a moment for dramatic effect. Noah and Gwen laughed at some shared joke; Heather watched Trent’s lower lip begin to wibble. “Honestly, what does she even _see_ in that guy?”

“I don’t know…” Trent despaired, covering his face in his hands.

“He’s snarky, rude… not to mention completely self-centered,” she went on. “You know, I bet if he were forced to leave the Island, she’d forget about him within the week.”

Trent’s head raised up from his hands. “Are… are you suggesting I vote to have Noah thrown off tonight to improve my odds of getting with Gwen?” He stared over at the two of them, contemplating it, contemplating being at that table now and telling jokes that made the girl of his dreams laugh; he shook his head then, as if snapping out of it. “No. It wouldn’t be right. Noah hasn’t done anything wrong this challenge. If I want Gwen, I’m going to win her over myself. I just have to try _harder_ —” he thumped his fist down into his other open hand with a refreshed determination, “Show her what she really means to me.” He stood from the table and put his hand down on Heather’s shoulder, “Thanks for reminding me I gotta fight for what I want, Heather.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Are. You. _Kidding_. Me??” Heather snarled and threw a roll of TP.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Heather growled under her breath, her blood sizzling as Trent exited. “Don’t mention it…”

—

Gwen and Noah had parted ways after a relaxed brunch. The dark-haired teen considered sequestering himself off somewhere to get some good reading in, but the lure of spending time with his boyfriend instead of his books won out… just this once. He found Cody a bit from camp, playing a game on his Nintendo DS.

“Mind if I join you?” Noah asked.

Cody looked up from his handheld, pausing his game with a swift push of his thumb. “Are you kidding? Of course not!” He scooched over to give Noah room to sit. Noah did and Cody resumed his game. “We made a pretty good team out there, huh?” he commented.

“That we did,” Noah agreed, almost instinctively reaching out to ruffle his boyfriend’s hair, but he stopped himself, withdrawing his hand and rubbing his arm with it instead.

A few minutes were spent in relative silence (sans the sounds coming from his gaming device) when Cody noticed something. “Not gonna read?” he asked the other teen curiously. Noah always read. The fact that he wasn’t was just plain unusual.

Noah shrugged. “I feel more like just enjoying your company, I guess,” he said honestly.

Cody felt his heart skip a beat. “Haha, you should’ve just said so,” he said, closing his DS.

“You don’t have to stop playing,” Noah assured.

“No, I wanna enjoy your company too,” Cody said. There was a moment of awkward tension, like both boys were holding back on saying what was really on their minds. Noah stared at the ground and Cody stared at the sky, avoiding each others’ gaze. Cody was the first to break the ice. “So why didn’t you tell me about you and Gwen working together?”

Noah wet his lips. He supposed Cody deserved the answer to that. “You want the truth?”

Cody nodded.

“I didn’t want you to think I’m only doing it to get in good with you,” Noah revealed. He folded his arms and glanced away.

A grin slowly pulled its way across Cody’s face. “You really _are_ jealous, aren’t you?” he ribbed, elbowing Noah in the side.

Noah snorted, rolling his eyes hard. “Give me three good reasons why I shouldn’t be.”

“Only three?” Cody asked. Noah’s eyebrow quirked up. Cody placed his hand on his boyfriend’s cheek to turn him toward him and closed the distance, sealing his mouth on Noah’s once, softly, twice, deeper, then a third time, letting it really linger before pulling back.

Noah was rendered dumbstruck.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Cody put up his foot, crossing it at his other knee as he relaxed back in the port-a-potty. “And the Codester slides into first base!” he grinned stupidly. “Finding the right time?” he pointed his finger-guns, “Nailed it.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I didn’t think Cody even possessed the ability to be that smooth,” Noah admitted with slight amusement. His brow then drew down with seriousness, “Nor did I think our relationship would even get to this point. I’m actually starting to think it might last…” He rubbed his neck, “And I’m _never_ this optimistic.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Still jealous?” Cody asked cheekily.

Noah hummed, eyes half lidding. “A little,” he responded.

Cody smiled and eagerly pressed his mouth back onto Noah’s.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“I don’t know if making out with a boy feels any different than making out with a girl because I’ve never made out with a girl, but I can say that making out with Noah feels really, really, _really_ good.” His eyes crossed with light-headed delight, sighing.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

—

It didn’t seem like long before dark fell over Camp Wawanakwa, and all the campers from both teams found themselves heading for the campfire. It was a little more crowded than usual, and they had to squeeze together on the logs and stumps so everyone could have a seat. Cody tried to keep his snuggling up to Noah seem not too intentional, but most of everyone seemed too fixated on the approaching elimination ceremony to really notice anyhow.

Chris whistled happily as he arrived on scene, his platter heaped with the white puffy confections that bi-weekly determined their fate. “Good evening, Bass and Gophers,” he seemed to take distinct pleasure in addressing them. “I have to say, it’s not every day I get to do a _double-elimination_ ceremony. Heh heh.”

“Oh, just get on with it and quit stalling,” Heather folded her arms, seeming unusually cranky, even for her.

Chris’ face morphed to one of mild frustration. “It’s called ‘creating dramatic tension’, and I’ll have you know, the viewers at home L-O-V-E _love_ it.” He cleared his throat and his showhost’s smile returned, “Where was I?” He picked up two of the marshmallows from the heaping pile and squeezed them. “There are eighteen campers present tonight and only sixteen marshmallows on this plate. I want to take this time to remind you that if you do not receive a marshmallow, you will be forced to walk down the Dock of Shame, catch the Boat of Losers, and you can never come back––”

“Ever,” the entire group of campers cut his spiel off in unison.

Chris placed his hands on his hips and glared at them. “You guys aren’t being any fun tonight.” He began divying them out rapid-fire, “Bridgette, Trent, Duncan, Heather, Harold, Gwen, Geoff, Cody, Tyler, Izzy, Courtney, Lashawna, DJ, Owen.” He paused to draw a large breath, then smirked. “Where does that leave us?”

Cody’s mouth tweaked, nervously taking note of his boyfriend’s lack of marshmallow. Noah, looking unconcerned despite his current empty-handedness, glanced at Beth and Katie and Sadie, who were now clinging to one another in abject horror.

“I only have two more names to call,” Chris reminded, as if it were necessary. “And those two names are…” he drew it out, staring the four remaining campers down. “Sadie and Noah.” He tossed the puffed sugar their way. Noah caught his and placed it in his mouth slowly and delicately, savoring it so that Heather could have a good long look.

“Nooo!” Sadie despaired, clinging tighter to her BFF. “I can’t live without Katie! You _can’t_ send her away!!”

Chris hmm’d, running his finger across his stubbly chin. “Well, I suppose I _could_ make an exception…” The two girls nodded eagerly, sitting forward, hanging on his very word. “Aaand make this a _triple_ -elimination ceremony,” he continued.

The Bass rose up in a string of protestations, shouting over one another to be heard. “No no, that’s quite okay,” Courtney tried to take control of the situation. “They’re actually fine with being separated. They were just acting-out for the camera. Right, girls?”

Katie and Sadie resumed their bawling, tears cascading from their eyes. Beth had stood, accepting of her fate, and she walked over to the two upset teens. She placed her hand on Katie’s shoulder. “There there. Now it’ll be okay. I know it’s hard to be away from your best friends; I felt that way when I left Scout camp at the end of every summer. But you know what it means?” Katie blinked at Beth’s metallic smile, eyes watering; she shook her head. “It means it’s that much better when you’re reunited.”

Katie looked significantly more stoic. She nodded, clasping Sadie’s hands. “I’m going to miss you, BFF. But you can do this. You are strong and beautiful.”

Sadie’s eyebrows pinched together. “No way. You’re stronger and beautifuler.”

Katie grabbed her by both shoulders. “We’re _both_ stronger and beautifuler.”

Noah rolled his eyes.

Chef Hachett arrived with the two girls’ luggage. Katie stood. “Alright. I’m ready to go.” She and Beth picked up their belongings and departed the campfire.

The scout smiled. “And while you’re apart, I’ll teach you how to make the ultimate friendship bracelet to surprise Sadie with.”

“Oh my gosh. You are so totally the best!” Katie bounced. “Well, right after Sadie, of course. Is it okay if we’re just FFs?”

“Of course!” Beth brightened. The two proceeded down the dock hand-in-hand.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Beth held up a couple beads to Katie, who carefully pushed a string through their holes. The two paused in sorting through the scout’s large tacklebox full of multi-colored beads. “I actually don’t feel bad about leaving at all,” Beth spoke. “I’ve got my honor back, and I feel like I’ve gained a new sister!” Katie nodded enthusiastically, throwing her arms around Beth to give her a squeeze. “Fifteen more hours and you’ll earn your Friendship Beading activity patch!” Katie’s eyes sparkled.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Ughhhh…!” Duncan pinched at the bridge of his nose, fighting a terrible migraine induced by high-volume, high-pitched whining, “Thank god. I was afraid that would never be over.”

Sadie broke out into tears once more. Courtney and Bridgette, who’d been attempting to console the girl, glared at him. The former stood from her log, smacking a fist into her other palm, “What you ought to be afraid of is me rearranging your face. Quit being such a jerk!”

“Oh, I would _love_ to see you try it, sweetheart,” Duncan grinned.

Noah rolled his eyes. “Just kiss already.”

Duncan and Courtney froze in wide-eyed horror. Giggles, snorts and ‘oooh’ing swept through the rest of the campers. The punk was the first to recover, quickly folding his arms and putting on his tough-guy look, “No thanks. I’d rather hug an alligator.”

Courtney gave an insulted scoff. “Well _I’d_ rather hug…” she struggled to think up something more terrifying, “I’d rather hug a nest full of hornets!” They both turned 180° to face away from one another.

“Ha!” Lashawna laughed, “Sounds like someone’s chuh-chuh-chicken!” She began immitating the domesticated fowl.

Tyler nearly leapt right out of his pants. “Oh god! Where is it??” he glanced left and right hurriedly. “Get it away from me!” He hid behind Harold.

“Is’at boy chicken of… chickens?” Lashawna snorted a laugh. She crowwed and waggled her elbows like wings.

“Hey now, go easy on him,” DJ spoke up softly. “Everyone’s got some fear or another.” He pat Tyler on the shoulder reassuringly.

“Well sure,” Lashawna agreed, but guardedly. “But some of us have fears that are actually legitimate. I have arachnaphobia, but you don’t see me freakin’ out e’ery time I see a spider web.”

“I have a mutual respect for and fear of ninjas,” Harold ventured. “They’ve been perfecting the arts of infiltration and assassination since the Sengoku period in the 15th century, unless you count their antecedents in the 12th century.”

Cody chuckled at Harold’s small font of information. “Personally, I’d be really afraid of having to disarm a timebomb under pressure.”

Noah arched his eyebrow at him. “When would you ever have to do that?”

“Well, I dunno,” Cody shrugged. “But you have to admit, it would be pretty freaky!”

“I think I could do that,” Bridgette boasted. “But what I wouldn’t do is spend all day alone in the woods.”

“That’d probably get to me too,” Trent admitted. “But I’d rather spend a day alone in the woods than a day at the dentist’s office.” He shuddered at the very thought.

At Trent’s admittance, Gwen chose to speak up. “For me it has to be being buried alive.”

“Padded cells,” Izzy giggled crazily. “And mattresses. Definitely mattresses!” Her began to list off on her fingers, “The foam kind, the spring kind, the air kind, the waterbed kind…”

Heather cringed. “Why am I not surpised?” She put her hand to her breast braggingly, “ _I_ only have one fear. And it’s not liable to be one that will work against me here on the island.”

“And that would be…?” Gwen drew out, not caring for the asian girl’s secretism.

Heather scoffed and crossed her arms. “Sumo wrestlers. They’re…” she shuddered, “Disgusting. Why do you think Owen freaks me out so much?”

“Huh… I thought it was my body odor, heh heh heh…” the largest camper chuckled, raising an arm to smell his pits. Heather gagged a little. “My fear is flying. How can something that big and heavy stay up in the air??” he gestured with his giagantic arms, which really only made his point stronger, “It just doesn’t seem natural, man!”

“My biggest fear was going without Katie…” Sadie wiped away a residual tear under her eye. “But I guess now that I’m already facing that… well, my next biggest fear is probably not being pretty anymore.” She pulled out her container of lipgloss to touch up, then her eyes began to water again. “Katie gave me this shade!” She clutched it to her chest and sobbed.

“Losing the use of my legs,” Geoff said seriously. “I couldn’t surf, I couldn’t skate… bruh, I couldn’t do _anything_. My life’d be over!”

“Hey, what about you, Noah?” Cody elbowed his boyfriend gently. “What are you afraid of?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah folded his arms. “I wasn’t exactly thrilled by the little group share-a-thon thing we had going, and I was kind of hoping to stay out of it, but so much for that I guess.” He rolled his eyes.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Y’know, it’s kind of too bad Chris had us broken up into two teams like this, pitted against one another,” Cody said. “A lot of the Killer Bass are actually kind of cool. If there weren’t all these challenges to win, I think we’d all kind of just… get along, eh heh.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Noah took a long moment to answer, which had every other camper who had revealed their fears zeroing in on him. He cleared his throat. “Running out of books to read.” The other campers began to laugh. It sounded like a comical, truth-dodging answer, but he was quite serious. The time the public library had been closed for renovations over the summer when he was in 6th grade, he’d had to re-read everything on his shelf at home, and once he had, he been forced to turn to reading obscure things like the dictionary, TV Guide and appliance manuals just to stay sane.

DJ yawned and stretched. “Well, I dunno about you dudes, but I’m gonna turn in.” A few of the other campers nodded in agreement. He took three steps away from the campfire when something low in the bushes rustled and he gave a shriek. “Snake! SNAAAKE!” He bolted, terrified, and a moment later, a curious chipmunk emerged from the bush, tilting its head with curiosity.

“Three guesses what his fear is,” Duncan snickered.


	12. Chapter 12

They were awoken the next morning to a shrill scream coming from the girls’ bathroom. Duncan clamped his hands over his ears, “What now?!”

Despite the early hour, Noah’s wit was on full-blast. He pulled the sleep mask up off his eyes. “I’d think someone like you would be used to high-pitched noises like police sirens.”

“Who _is_ that?” Cody sat up in alarm. He slid out of bed and hurried out the door right behind Trent and DJ.

Many of the girls were huddled around outside the facilities. “What’s going on? Is everyone okay?” the guitar-enthusiast asked.

“Just stay out!” came a distraught voice from inside the restroom. “No one can see me like this!”

“She… she can’t find any of her make-up supplies,” Gwen explained to the confused boys. Cody and Tyler scratched their heads.

“I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s not like make-up is a necessity,” Bridgette shrugged her shoulders, but it was clear the rest of the girls did not share her viewpoint from the way they all looked at her askance the moment the words left her mouth.

“No, I get it,” DJ nodded. “We may be out camping, but we’re on TV. And it makes sense to always want to look your best. It’s why I got a mani/pedi before I came.” Lashawna and Owen stooped in to admire his emaculate cuticles with a collective ‘oooh’.

Bridgette half-rolled her eyes. “I’m gonna go talk to her.”

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened. Bridgette stepped out, holding onto Sadie’s elbow; the girl had her face covered with both hands, lightly sobbing. “It’s alright,” the surfer chick reassured. “You look fine. Just… think of today as your ‘au naturale’ look. If I can pull it off, then you definitely can!” Sadie gave one last sniffle, but then she removed her hands. Geoff gave a frightened shriek and instantly fainted. Owen’s eyes bugged out. The poor girl’s face was blotchy and swollen around the tear ducts, eyes bloodshot from a full night of crying. Many of the other male campers averted their gaze in a hurry.

Noah gave a polite little cough into his hand. “That girl should not go ‘au naturale’,” he muttered to Cody.

“Do you have something to share?” Courtney put her hands on her hips, eyes narrowing at him, as she’d obviously overheard him.

“I didn’t say a thing,” Noah backed down with his hands up. He hadn’t meant it as a snub at the girl’s attractiveness, but save for Cody and Gwen, no one was aware he was the campsite’s resident gay.

“Oh! Why gooooood morning, campers!” Chris arrived on-scene. “I see you’re all _bright-eyed_ and bushy-tailed, heh heh heh…” He looked directly at Sadie. “Say, who invited the Creature from the Black Lagoon?” He put a finger up to his earpiece as though speaking into it, “I thought there were some licensing agreements that were keeping us from that.” Sadie whimpered and slapped her hands back over her face. “I see you’ve also discovered today’s challenge!” McLean went on.

Cody glanced left and right. “Uh…”

“And just _what_ would that be?” Heather queried hotly, echoing everyone’s thoughts.

Chris’ eyes narrowed down, a scheming smile widening across his features. “Today’s the day you all face your greatest fears. I like to call it… Phobia Factor!”

“Phobia Factor…?” Bridgette sounded dubious.

“That’s right,” McLean nodded, a viciousness gleaming in his small black eyes. “For you that means taking a hike in the woods. A nice, looong hike. Twelve hours, to be precise.” The last condition fell from his mouth with particular enjoyment, “ _All alone_.”

The surfer chick swallowed roughly. Her blue eyes darted from side to side. “B-but… but how did you know?”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“The campfire.” Gwen slapped her forehead. “He left but he left the cameras on. Chris knows _all_ of our fears.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Nevermind how I knew,” McLean continued brutally. “Off you go!” Bridgette set her jaw and began walking.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

Geoff shook his head with incredulty and admiration. “I tell you. That girl… _so_ brave.” He thudded his bare chest twice in show of support.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Now let’s see… who’s next…” Chris spoke thoughtfully, but his eyes had already zoomed in on Geoff. He withdrew a baseball bat from behind his back and began towards him, brandishing it. All of the campers gave a gasp as they recalled the fear the blond dude had revealed to them. Geoff began to scramble backwards, screaming and yelling, only to trip over the object that Chef Hachet had wheeled in from off-screen. His ass landed in a wheelchair, and swiftly the large black co-host strapped him into it, duct taping his legs such that they would be immobile. He struggled anxiously against his bonds, but the rest of the campers breathed a sigh of intense relief.

“What?” Chris asked as he tossed the baseball bat away, “Did you really think we’d be so cruel as to actually _break_ his legs? This isn’t that kind of show.” He snickered silently to the camera, “Yet anyway.”

“Wait. What are we getting for doing all this?” Heather interrupted then, and the others agreed with her.

“I suppose it’s worth it to explain,” Chris indulged her. “All of you will be expected to complete your own personal challenges. Those who succeed earn a point for their team. The team with the most points earns invincibility. The team with the least will be sending someone home. If I had to make a guess, someone who failed to complete their own challenge. So, consider that motivation.” His grin couldn’t be wider. Geoff already looked extremely uncomfortable about his forced immobilization. “Now Noah,” Chris selected another Gopher, “You’ll be expected to remain illiterate, for all intents and purposes, for the next twenty-four hours. We catch you reading a single word, off _anything_ , even a t-shirt, and you’ll lose your challenge.”

The dark-haired teen stiffened. But Chris quickly continued on. “Duncan, Courtney, if you’ll follow me, you’ve both got some hugging to do.” Both of their eyebrows lifted, somewhat intrigued. “I’ll have you know, shipping in an American Alligator overnight was not cheap, but Chef found the hornet’s nest growing out behind the bathroom confessional…” The punk and junior C.I.T. flinched and moved to follow. “Be back in a tic!” McLean sing-songed; the other campers eyed one another nervously, knowing it was only a matter of time before their challenges were revealed to them.

Noah wasn’t moving a muscle, except for a slight twitch growing in intensity under his right eye. Under normal circumstances, he could go without reading anything for probably several hours at a time, as long as he didn’t think too hard about it. Like he had on their last challenge. But _knowing_ that he couldn’t, that he was going to barred from doing so until this time tomorrow… already it was making him crave just a single paragraph of his latest novel. His eyes scanned left and right over the pine needles under foot, as if desperate they’d spell something out for him to read.

“Noah, you okay?” His boyfriend’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. The boy slipped his hand into his.

He didn’t care to admit it to the rest of him team, so he spoke back in a whisper. “This isn’t going to be easy.”

“Don’t worry,” Cody assured him. “I’ll keep you distracted. All day, I promise. It’ll be over before you know it.” His gap-toothed grin actually made Noah feel more confident, up until–

Off in the distance, Courtney gave a blood-curdling scream.

—

A bead of sweat rolled out of his hairline and paused on his temple. Cody felt it tickle there on his skin, but he barely dared look away from the device in front of him, let alone _move_ to wipe the sweat away. The green digital display steadily incremented downward with each passing second, a constant pressure reminding him he had limited time to get this right.

“O-o… okay,” he called out to his boyfriend sitting some distance away. “I’ve just about got the outer casing removed.” Chris had been explicit that Cody was to receive no assistance disarming the bomb with the tools provided to him, however, he had failed to specify that he _not_ get instructions on how to do so from someone else (when Noah had stepped in to ask, Chris had checked the guidelines only to frustratedly slap the book shut and permit it, and the host had stalked off, muttering to himself about how that loophole was going to be fixed in “season 2”). Cody carefully turned the remaining screw until it came out, then peeled off the casing that housed the bomb. Instantly, his eyes bulged. “Oh… oh God– N-Noah!” he got out in alarm. Inside was a tangle of colored wires and circuitry. He’d dabbled with constructing his own PC at home for gaming, but by comparision, this was far more complicated and intricate.

“Relax,” Noah said. “Describe it to me. What do you see?” Honestly, guiding his boyfriend through disarming a bomb was sort of calming; it kept his mind off his own challenge.

Cody swallowed a lump in his throat that was too big to swallow. “It’s… well… I… I see three different colored wires. No… no, wait, it’s four,” he hastily corrected, spying another strand that ran mostly underneath the rest. “Green, red, blue, and black.”

Noah hummed. “Alright, that’s an important distinction.”

“It is?” Cody asked, feeling all the more worried for the information. How many different kinds of bombs were there anyway??

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Not gonna lie, I am scared _shitless_ ,” Cody said, a seriousness in his voice that made it clear he wasn’t punning around, despite his surroundings in the bathroom stall. “It’s not that I don’t trust Noah– I _do_. If anyone on this island knows how to actually disarm a bomb, it’s gonna be him cuz he’s probably read like ten books on the subject–” he managed only the smallest, most nervous of chuckles; he thumbed back– “but at least he’s out of the blast radius.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“You’re sure there’s not five?” Noah asked. “No white wire?”

Cody bit his lip and moved his head to study the device from several angles. “I– I don’t see one.”

“Hm. No Neutral to balance the current,” Noah said more to himself than the other boy. “The red and the blue, where do they originate from and where do they lead to?” Noah continued aloof.

“Um…” Cody tried to slow the pulse of his heart as he tried to visually check, rather than go poking around in the inner workings. “The red one goes from… I– I think this is the power source?” Oh God, what if he was wrong, what if it _wasn’t_ the power source?? It wasn’t like it had AA batteries. “To the timer.”

“Alright, leave that one alone,” Noah murmured, closing his eyes to start diagramming Cody’s words into a picture in his head. “That one is just powering the display. If you cut it, the bomb will still be active, you just won’t know how much longer you have left.”

Cody nodded furiously. That made sense. Nice to know it wasn’t dangerous. “Okay. Well, the green one looks like it goes from the timer to this little… rod-shaped… thing?”

“Really?” Noah’s interest sounded piqued.

The blue-eyed body felt his heart clench at that. “What do you mean, ‘really?’” he got out.

“Oh no, it’s nothing,” Noah waved dismissively. “I wouldn’t have expected that one to be green. But Chris probably got some half-wit intern who didn’t know what they were doing to whip this bomb up. Don’t cut it,” he added and Cody felt his eye twitch, “If it stops receiving input from the timer it will explode instantly instead.”

“I can’t do this,” Cody exhaled, dropping his pliers into the sand, ready to stand and make a run for it.

“Hey hey hey,” Noah encouraged from afar, “You’re fine, skamp; how much time is left?”

His body calmed considerably at the pet name. “Eight minutes. A-a-and thirty two seconds.”

“I promise we’ll be done in five,” Noah said. “The rod you mentioned, that should be the detonator, does it have any other wires coming out of it?”

Cody nodded, back on task. “Yeah, both the blue and the black.”

“And they go to?”

He traced them back, “The power source. They both go the same place. Is that normal?”

Noah nodded. “It’s an electrically-initiated detonator. Pretty common. If it had a mechanical or chemically initiated detonator, this might’ve been more difficult.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Not that I’m not interested in learning all there is to know about bomb designs from my over-knowledgeable boyfriend, but could he just _get to the part where I don’t get blown up??!”_ Cody fumed, his blue eyes bulging with panic.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

The dark-haired teen hummed thoughtfully. “Green is typically the grounding color; the black one is the one that will supply the stimulus for explosion.”

“So… I want to cut it? The black one?” Cody clarified, pliers trembling in his hands.

“Normally I’d say yes,” Noah said, “but since whoever built this used green for that other wire… oh nevermind, I’m sure it’s the black one, anyone with any basic circuitry training can’t have gotten _that_ wrong.”

“NOAH!” Cody shouted.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“On second thought, I probably shouldn’t have said that last part out loud.” Noah gave a sheepish cough into his hand. “But seriously,” his face metamorphized into a criticism of the electrical engineering work, “White is neutral in Canada and the United States and everywhere else it’s blue. Or black. But the point is, the only place blue is ‘hot’ is in Australia because everything in Australia is upside-down. Mixing the two up would just be idiotic, even for this show.”

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Cut the black one.”

“You’re _sure??”_

“I’m sure.”

“Because if it’s not the right one–”

“It’s the _right_ one,” Noah insisted.

Cody hissed air through the gap in his teeth. Carefully he slipped the cutters over the black wire, trying to steady his right hand with his left to keep it from shaking. This was insane. This whole show was insane. How was it okay for _this_ to be his challenge?? All Noah had to do was not read. All Sadie had to do was go without make-up for a day. This was life and death. Cody squeezed his eyes shut. It was okay, it was fine, all he had to do was make one little motion and it would all be over and it would be fine–

“Have you cut it yet?” Noah inquired, unable to see due to his distance.

“I’m getting to it!” Cody yelped back.

“Well you don’t have all day–” Noah began.

“I’M GETTING TO IT!” Cody repeated. He glanced one last time at the display. More than four minutes left. That felt like eternity honestly, with the way his heart was hammering in his chest. He took another steadying breath, shut his eyes, and squeezed his hand around the wire cutters.

The black wire nipped neatly in half.

And nothing happened.

“Oh thank God…” Cody breathed out, dropping the tool and flopping into the sand onto his back. “I did it. _We_ did it.”

Noah walked over. “Great job, jellybean. That’s a point for the Gophers.”

Cody’s eyes blinked open into an immediate grin. “Soon to be two points,” he said, rising up to wrap his arms around Noah in an appreciative embrace.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

“Just when I’d almost forgotten my challenge…” Noah flinched. His eyes darted over to the side of the confessional, spying some graffiti that had been written there by some delinquent camper. Quickly he ripped his eyes away and threw up a hand against the side of his face to act as a blinder.

_~~kkkssshhhttt…!!~~_

The warmth of the other teen and his survival of a near-death experience was making Cody a little light-headed. “Y’know…” he drew out in a what approximated a sultry tone, “Everyone else is pretty tied up in their own challenges right now. The cabin should be empty.”

Noah felt his eyebrow lift of its own volition. “Yeah.”

Cody’s eyebrows waggled in unison. “It’s my turn to help you with your challenge; let’s go take your mind off it.”

A little smirk pulled at Noah’s mouth. “Alright.”


End file.
